A BARRY man who fractured a fellow pub goer's skull with a kick to the head has been jailed for the drunken attack.

Newport Crown Court heard how 21-year-old Ashley Sullivan of Fairford Street, Barry, became involved in a scuffle outside the Habana bar in April last year which resulted in the injury to victim Luke Killin.

Earlier in the evening of April 6 last year Mr Killin had been drinking in Gordon Bennetts nightclub when one of Sullivan's friends accused him of staring at him and the pair began to argue.

Mr Killin left the nightclub because of this and went down the street to the Habana bar.

Prosecutor Gareth James told the court: "At around 2.30am, unfortunately some of the friends went there and they were aware of this incident.

"They approached him at the bar, words were exchanged and Mr Killin came to the conclusion that they wanted to fight."

After being escorted into the street Mr Killin began scuffling with one of the group and fell to the ground. It was there that Sullivan - who had been a bystander until this point - kicked Mr Killin in the face.

After initially being helped home Mr Killin was taken to hospital where he was found to have suffered a depressed fracture of the skull.

The injury required surgery and has left Mr Killin with a scar from ear to ear across his head.

Facebook logs recovered from Sullivan's computer found that he told a friend through messages that he "felt bad for kicking the guy" and that he "didn't deserve it".

He later pleaded guilty to a charge of GBH despite giving an initial no comment police interview.

Defending Sullivan, John Lewis told the court that the defendant was a man of good character who became involved in the "all too familiar tale" of "young men, whilst in drink, acting thoroughly irresponsible and thoroughly unpleasantly towards other young men".

Mr Lewis said: "He knew almost immediately what he had done was wrong. He is intelligent enough to know that mercifully it has not turned out worse than it is."

Judging the case, Recorder Richard Williams turned down Mr Lewis' pleas for a suspended sentence for his client.

Sentencing Sullivan to two years imprisonment, he said: "The injury was itself serious but has also had consequences which are likely to last a long time.

"It was out of character and it was an isolated incident. However, in a case of gratuitous violence of this kind justice can't be done by a suspended sentence."