A MAN who broke another man’s jaw in a late-night argument over an insult has been ordered to pay compensation to his victim.

Daniel Thomas Stansfield admitted GBH but said he was acting in self-defence when he punched Martin Howsham during a brawl in a Selby alleyway in the early hours of October 15.

York Crown Court heard how Stansfield, 31, of Newport Avenue in Selby, referred to Howsham and his girlfriend as “kerb-crawlers” as they sat at the side of the road waiting for a taxi.

Helen Wheatley, prosecuting, said: “The complainant, not surprisingly took offence at this. There was a verbal exchange which then appeared to calm down.”

The court was then told that Stansfield kicked the complainant in the back of the head when he sat down again.

Howsham then chased Stansfield down an alley where the two were said to have “squared up to each other”.

In mitigation, Warner Falk described his client as a family man of good character who had drunk too much and accepted that his comment could have been taken the wrong way.

Stansfield was ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work and told to pay the complainant £2,500 in compensation.