TWO Flint men have been spared jail after a cowardly drunken Christmas Eve pub attack left their victim hospitalised with serious injuries.

Leon Cowley, aged 27 and of Cae Bychan, appeared alongside Brandon Adamson, aged 25 and of St David's Close, at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Wednesday morning.

The pair had both been convicted at a previous hearing of one offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent upon a man named Ryan Longstaff.

Oliver King, prosecuting, told the court that the offence took place on December 24, 2022, as the victim entered the Mill Tavern Pub in Flint.

He'd been out socialising with friends that evening, and had seen Brandon Adamson - who he knew from his childhood.

As far as he knew, they were on good terms. But Adamson called him a "muppet," and put a finger up at him.

The night continued and eventually Mr Longstaff moved on to the Mill Tavern, which was extremely busy owing to it being Christmas Eve.

He was immediately set upon by Cowley, before Adamson put his drink down and joined in.

Mr Longstaff was punched numerous times to the face and in the aftermath, he sat down outside the pub and lost consciousness.

He was taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital, where a CT scan was carried out.

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Doctors found a suspected bleed on the brain, as well as fractures to the right and left jawbones, which required surgery.

In his statement, Mr Longstaff said he was unable to spend Christmas with his young children as he was discharged from the hospital on December 28.

He no longer socialises in pubs and has been left with a loss of feeling in his bottom lip and chin.

Mr King said the motive for the attack remains unclear; though Mr Longstaff recalled having briefly been intimate with Cowley's ex-partner, which was the only issue he could think of that could have prompted the violence.

Jemma Gordon, defending both men, asked Judge Niclas Parry to step back from immediate custody, explaining: "Both of these defendants have no previous convictions and bearing in mind their guilty pleas at the first opportunity, Your Honour can be assured there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

"They are both remorseful for what they have done."

Ms Gordon said her clients hadn't enjoyed hearing the details of the victim's injuries, describing their behaviour on the night as "out of character" - adding it will not "be repeated."

"They would both comply with any order Your Honour would make if it allows them to retain their liberty," she said.

"They are both working and are in a position to pay compensation."

Judge Parry told the defendants: "Because of nothing other than your snide, cowardly acts, a working man suffered a bleed on the brain and fractures to his jaw; one of which clearly shows the bone being split, causing the gumline and teeth to separate.

"He required pins and screws to put his jaw back together and couldn't eat solid food for six weeks.

"You had a petty grievance and you were seeking revenge. Mr Cowley you struck him to the face - they were cowardly blows which he had no time to anticipate.

"Once he'd been rendered close to unconsciousness, you Mr Adamson felt brave enough to follow up with punches.

The Leader:

"All of this resulted because the two of you were drunk."

The Judge branded the men's behaviour "wanton, unprovoked violence."

He handed down the same sentence to both men; 16 months custody, suspended for 2 years.

Both must carry out 250 hours of unpaid work, as well as paying £1,500 in compensation to Mr Longstaff and a victim surcharge of £187.