A man suffered two fractures to his jaw after being punched from behind by a stranger in a Norwich bar, a court has heard.

The victim had been in the smoking area of the Stadia bar in Upper King Street, near Prince of Wales Road in Norwich, when he was having a “heated argument” with his girlfriend.

Norwich Crown Court heard Catalin Ghivici, 27, had been at the club and approached the victim, who he did not know, from behind and “punched him once to the right side of the face”.

Nathalie Carter, prosecuting, said it was an “unprovoked attack” and the victim “wasn’t aware of Mr Ghivici approaching him”.

The victim fell to the floor and suffered two fractures to his jaw.

He spent three days in hospital after the attack and had two plates and four screws inserted to "hold everything in place" and was unable to eat solid food for between six and eight weeks.

Ghivici, of Castle Hill, Beccles, appeared at court on Thursday (October 14) having admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on July 8, 2019.

Judge Katharine Moore said it was "extremely concerning" that Ghivici, who was drunk, tried to involve himself in a disagreement between others.

She said in doing so in a public place he was "running the risk that others might join in the act of violence".

Judge Moore said Ghivici attacked the victim from behind so that he could not see it coming or do anything to avoid it but accepted it was "impulsive and short-lived".

Ghivici was given a six-month jail sentence, suspended for 21 months, ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and made the subject of a six-month alcohol abstinence order.

Danielle O’Donovan, mitigating, said it was “entirely out of character” for Ghivici, who comes from a law-abiding family in Romania.

Miss O’Donovan said it was a case of “extreme self defence” in that he had gone to the aid of the man's girlfriend who he thought was being attacked.

She said: “The defendant saw what he thought was a domestic violence incident.”

She said he saw the victim “shouting” at his girlfriend and saw him being aggressive.

Miss O’Donovan said he should not have got involved himself and perhaps called the police.

She added the defendant, who has stopped drinking, was "very remorseful".