A South Devon man needed 50 stitches in a head wound after he was involved in a pub brawl with his ex-girlfriend's new partner.

Exeter Crown Court heard the altercation took place in the Queensbury Arms, Teignmouth, in February last year.

The victim, Matthews Beeks, was with his new girlfriend in the public house when shore fisherman Lee Jones came in with Mr Beeks' former girlfriend. There was a verbal altercation between the two women and Mr Beeks tried to separate the pair.

At that stage Jones became involved and grabbed Mr Beeks in a headlock and allegedly punched him several times.

During the brawl, Mr Beeks felt a blow to the back of his head and thought he had been punched again. But shortly after feeling the blow he realised he was bleeding heavily from a cut to his head and ear. The injury later required some 50 stitches.

After the incident Jones left the pub to get a taxi home but was arrested in the town.

Jones, aged 23, of Northumberland Place, Teignmouth pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Beeks but admitted the assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Jones was fined £1,000, to be paid within six months. If the fine is not paid in that time he will have to serve a 28-day prison term.

Passing sentence, Recorder Ian Pringle QC told Jones: 'Clearly you had a lot to drink and quite wrongly became involved in a scuffle with Mr Beeks. I hope this court appearance will emphasise to you that if you drink and get involved in fighting, the consequences can be extremely serious.

'However, this was out of character and a prison sentence would be counter-productive, so I have decided to hit you in your pocket.'

When Jones was interviewed he said he had been in the pub when there was an altercation between the two women. He admitted that he had grabbed hold of Mr Beeks but denied that he had used a glass to attack him.

A witness, James Gresty, who saw the incident, said Jones had Mr Beeks in a headlock and moved some glasses across a table and that was when the injury was sustained.

Defence counsel Rupert Taylor said the incident started with an argument between the two women and spilled over with the men becoming involved. It was during that altercation that Mr Beeks fell across a table and sustained the serious injury to the back of his head. Jones also sustained a cut on his hand.

Prosecutor Chris Bennett said there was some animosity between the two men regarding Jones' current girlfriend, who had been going out with Mr Beeks. But there was no evidence to show whether Jones had used the glass as a weapon.

He said James Gresty, who had witnessed the incident, was unable to say whether it was a blow with the glass or just part of the scuffle. On that basis the Crown was prepared to accept the guilty plea to the lesser alternative charge.