A 20-year-old man, who head butted his girlfriend's boss twice in a pub brawl, caused nearly three thousand pounds worth of damage to his victim's teeth, a court heard.

A 20-year-old man, who head butted his girlfriend's boss twice in a pub brawl, caused nearly three thousand pounds worth of damage to his victim's teeth, a court heard.

Lee Dowsing, of Old Norwich Road, Ipswich, appeared for sentencing at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Friday . He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at a previous hearing.

Dowsing, who is unable to work since he broke his ankle in October last year, turned to drink to deal with depression, the court heard.

Prosecuting, Godfried Duah said: “He (Dowsing) had gone to Uncle Tom's Cabin public house on December 23 last year.

“His girlfriend works at the pub. He had an argument with his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. Eddie Roberts, the landlord, tried to get him out of the pub.

“Mr Dowsing head butted him twice in the face. They fell on to the snooker table where Mr Dowsing kept trying to punch him. A dental crown came out. He had abrasions and scratches and a bloody nose.”

The court heard the landlord submitted a compensation claim of £2,900 to pay for the dental work.

In mitigation defence lawyer Diana Infanti said her client had drunk five cans of beer at home and eight pints of strong beer and several vodkas in the pub.

She added: “He was pretty drunk. He was grabbed from behind and he reacted badly. He believed it could have been his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend or one of his friends. He lashed out and caused injuries to the landlord.

“He is disgusted by his behaviour and hasn't drunk since. He accepts he has an alcohol problem and that it got him into trouble on this occasion. He wants to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

Magistrates made Dowsing the subject of an 18 month community order. Chairman of the bench Bernard Turner said Dowsing will have to take part in an aggression replacement training programme. Dowsing was also ordered to pay £400 in compensation to his victim and £55 costs. He was banned from entering Uncle Tom's Cabin public house, unless with the specific permission of the landlord, for two years.