A MAN has been jailed for 20 months for a single-punch attack which left his victim unconscious with a broken jaw.

Timothy Eastham was felled after he left the Lion Hotel, in Wensley Road, Blackburn, last October by Paul Kirkley and hit his head on the pavement.

Kirkley, 43, of Snowdon Avenue, Blackburn, had pleaded guilty to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Preston Crown Court heard Mr Eastham had gone to the pub with the defendant’s former partner on October 3 last year.

Roger Brown, prosecuting, said Mr Eastham had met the young woman the day before.

“There seems to have been something of an atmosphere,” he told the court.

“Mr Eastham decided to leave the premises and as far as he was concerned, that was the end of the matter.”

Kirkley was having a game of pool when the other man left. He was described as throwing down his cue and rushing out of the pub to follow Mr Eastham.

The victim’s recollection was that Kirkley touched him on the shoulder.

He turned around and the defendant ‘swung’ at him, punching him to the face, knocking him out.

Mr Brown added: “The severe injuries are likely to have been caused by him falling and hitting his head on the pavement. The blow apparently knocked him out.”

Mr Eastham suffered a very prominent swollen black eye and a fractured jaw. Surgery was needed to reposition bone fragments, with metal plates and screws being inserted.

He had to eat puree food and found telephone conversations difficult as he could not pronounce his words properly.

Clare Thomas, defending, said Kirkley had convictions that included violence.

She said: “He is quite frankly disgusted with himself about the offence.”

The attack echoes an attack on Adam Rogers, who died after being felled with a single punch in Blackburn town centre last summer.