A THUG who attacked a man in a town centre pub and continued to punch his victim while he was on the ground has been told a custodial sentence is “inevitable”.

Preston Crown Court heard that victim Karl Yates ended up with a boot print on his forehead after being stamped on in The Sun Hotel, Blackburn.

Mr Yates also lost a number of teeth in the incident at around 10pm on October 21.

Daniel James Collins, 29, of Parklands Way, Blackburn, denied a charge of wounding with intent.

But he did plead guilty to causing Mr Yates actual bodily harm on the basis that he did not stamp on his head. He also accepted that Mr Yates lost a number of teeth during the melee but could not be sure who delivered that blow as there was a number of people surrounding the victim throughout the incident, which was partially captured on CCTV.

Collins will be sentenced for the attack at Preston Crown Court on Friday, when he will also enter a plea on on an unrelated assault.

Prosecuting Emma Kehoe said: “The prosecution’s case will be the CCTV. The complainant can remember nothing about the attack. As far as the teeth are concerned the defendant will accept as part of the melee which was this incident, his teeth were lost. The prosecution cannot say any more about that because the complainant can remember nothing.

“The complainant did have a boot mark on his forehead, which a doctor has confirmed.

“The main attack by this defendant on this complainant is in view of the CCTV. A large part of it we can see. There is then part of the attack when other members of the public gather around the incident and we can’t see anything at all.

Defending, Mark Stuart said: “My client does not accept kicking or stamping at all. It is punching alone.

“It can be said to be a sustained attack. It’s obvious there is sustained punching. He drags him along the floor and is punching him for a period of time.

“We know it is inevitably a custodial sentence but it is a matter of length.”

Judge Andrew Woolman rejected that Yates was acting in self-defence.