Samuel Joseph Furness (25) committed the ‘completely unprovoked’ attack on a man at Rojos on 31 January while out drinking with his girlfriend’s family.
The court heard that both men were at the bar when, following a brief exchange, Furness grabbed a glass and swung it into the man’s face.
The glass shattered on impact – leaving the victim needing stitches for a laceration under his ear.
A doctor who treated him said the cut was ‘very close’ to a nerve – which would have caused facial disfigurement if severed – and the carotid artery, which would have resulted in ‘massive haemorrhage’ at the time.
‘It was only by the purest good fortune that the defendant did not inflict far graver injuries on his victim,’ Crown Advocate Matthew Jowitt told the court.
In a victim-impact statement, the man said the injuries left him in pain and unable to eat solid food for weeks while the swelling went down, and he continues to be self-conscious about the scar behind his ear.
Furness admitted his guilt to police immediately after the attack and apologised for it, expressing concern for the man he assaulted, the court heard.
He appeared at the Royal Court on Friday having pleaded guilty to a charge of grave and criminal assault.
Crown Advocate Jowitt recommended that Furness, who has previous convictions for disorderly conduct, malicious damage and obstructing the police, should be jailed for three years.
Advocate Rebecca Morley-Kirk, defending, said her client had been suffering from some emotional difficulties at the time of the incident, which she described as ‘instantaneous and momentary’ rather than premeditated.
She said: ‘He had never been violent before and had no reason to be on this occasion. He behaved in a disproportionate and, in his words, inexcusable way towards the victim.’
Advocate Morley-Kirk recommended that Furness should be given a suspended sentence to allow him to move to Hong Kong, where his parents live, and make a ‘fresh start’.
However, the court decided that the case was too serious for a non-custodial sentence.
Bailiff William Bailhache, sitting with Jurats Jerry Ramsden and Peter Morgan, said it was a ‘completely unprovoked’ attack ‘for no reason that was remotely justified’ which had left the victim permanently scarred.
Furness was also ordered to pay £1,500 compensation to his victim.
