A thug who broke a teenager's jaw with a 'hefty punch' at an Accrington bar on New Year's Eve has walked free from court.

Lee Andrew Thompson, 23, broke Nathan Burgess' jaw in two places with a single punch when he saw what he believed to be a 'heated' argument between his brother and the victim.

And in a separate incident, Thompson 'lost his temper' while on curfew and threw a chair which hit his mother and caused a gash above her eyebrow.

John Dargan, prosecuting, told Burnley Crown Court that Mr Burgess had been celebrating the New Year with friends at the Bees Knees when he was punched and knocked to the ground.

He said the teen, who was drunk, did not remember much of the incident which was witnessed by friends and the pub doorman, but was in a great deal of pain when he woke the following day.

Mr Burgess, 18, had a metal plate surgically inserted into his face as a result of the attack and still suffers from pain ten months later, Mr Dragan said.

In a victim impact statement he said he visits the dentist each month, regularly suffers from toothache and has been told he may suffer from arthritis in his jaw in later life.

Mr Dargan continued that Thompson was electronically tagged while on bail and failed to return home within his curfew hours one night.

He was unable to alert the authorities and while drunk he lost his temper, picked up a dining room chair and threw it across the room, inadvertently striking his mother above the eyebrow.

Thompson, of Wordsworth Close, Oswaldtwistle, who has 41 convictions for 55 offences, pleaded guilty to inflicting GBH and affray.

Mark Stuart, for Thompson, said the defendant never intended to hurt his mother and she is 'mortified' at the conviction having provided a retraction statement to police.

Mr Stuart said the attack on Mr Burgess happened because Thompson believed his brother was at risk of being struck with a bottle.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said a community order would allow Thompson to undergo an alcohol treatment requirement, which he would not receive if he was locked up.

He handed Thompson an 18-month community order with a supervision requirement and a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement.

Judge Gibson said: "This order provides as much protection as is required.

"I would not have gone down this route had you not spent the equivalent of 193 days in custody."