A man who broke the arm of a pubgoer who was trying to eject him has been ordered to pay £2,000 compensation.

Joshua Green was drinking in the Black Dog in Crawshawbooth with Joshua Riley at around 8pm on July 4 when he suddenly punched Mr Riley in the face without warning.

Prosecutor Anthony Stephenson told Burnley Crown Court how the landlord, along with some of the customers got hold of Green, 30, to try to get him out of the pub.

As he was being pulled out, one of the men, John McCarthy, ended up on the ground.

The victim was kicked once in the head and several times to the arm, causing a triple fracture in his arm which required surgery.

Defending Green, Philip Holden said despite having some violent offences when he was younger, Green had not been involved in any trouble in more than 10 years.

Mr Holden said: “He has been able to control his temper as an adult until this instance we are concerned with.”

Green, of Commercial Street, Loveclough, who has served in the army, admitted assault and causing grievous bodily harm without intent. He was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

Sentencing him, Judge Sara Dodd said: “Why it is you included yourself in violence I really don’t understand.

“For many years as an adult you had kept away from that sort of trouble.”

He has also been ordered to do 25 days of rehabilitation to control his temper, 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,000 compensation to Mr McCarthy.