A WOMAN who was struck in the face with a bottle in an unprovoked attack had to undergo surgery to repair fractures to both sides of her jaw.

The victim was said to have suffered two displaced fractures of her jaw following the blow and had to undergo surgery during which involved the insertion of three metal plates and a dozen screws.

Her attacker 57-year-old Anthony Brown was sentenced to 18 months in jail, but because he will only serve up to half that term, and has already been on remand for about seven months, it won’t be long before he could be back on the streets.

A judge heard that drug user Brown, of Darnay Lane, Bradford, had 47 previous convictions for 128 offences, but his last offence of violence was an assault back in 2010.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Brown and the woman had been at the home of a mutual friend last December when he became enraged after the complainant was abusive towards him and called him “a b******”.

But Recorder David Kelly rejected any suggestion that Brown had been provoked and said it was an entirely unprovoked attack on the woman.

Recorder Kelly said Brown used considerable force when he struck the complainant, but the court heard that the bottle itself did not smash.

When he was initially interviewed by the police about the incident Brown suggested the injuries could have been caused in a car crash and denied being responsible.

But at a later court hearing Brown pleaded guilty to an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm even though the complainant did not attend at court for his trial.

Prosecutor Danielle Gilmour said the victim underwent surgery a week before Christmas, but there was no medical update relating to her.

Barrister Paul Canfield, for Brown, submitted that the incident had been impulsive, spontaneous, and short-lived.

He conceded that the injuries were serious, but said Brown had not shown a pattern of violent behaviour or an escalation in his offending.

Mr Canfield said his client turned to drugs as a crutch following the death of his wife but had stopped taking drugs while on remand.

“As a result of your assault upon her the complainant suffered displaced fractures to the left and right sides of her jaw requiring both sides to be re-aligned before being secured and plated with screws. So to that extent it is a permanent injury,” the judge told Brown.

He said the 18-month jail sentence would have to be served, but his time on remand meant he was likely to be released very soon if not immediately.