A man who permanently scarred a pub landlord’s face at closing time has been jailed.

Gareth Stannard, 30, was on parole from a sentence for his second conviction for fire-raising when he launched his unprovoked attack, said Elizabeth Muir, prosecuting.

The landlord Nick Thomason had spent the day at a funeral before returning to the Cross Keys in Dunnington, east of York, to help his staff clear the pub at closing time.

Stannard was looking for trouble and when he attacked a pub regular in the car park, Mr Thomason pulled him off, said Ms Muir.

As the landlord checked the other customer’s condition, Stannard ran at him and hit him in the face cutting him on the forehead. The landlord was left with a permanent scar.

“You punched him with something you must have deliberately got out of your clothing,” Judge Simon Hickey told Stannard at York Crown Court.

“It was a highly dangerous weapon and it caused these injuries.”

Personal trainer and fish and chip shop employee Stannard, of Gate Helmsley near Stamford Bridge, denied wounding but was convicted at a trial last month at which Mr Thomason gave evidence via a video link from New Zealand.

Stannard was jailed for three years and three months.

Neal Kutte, for Stannard, said he wasn’t generally violent but he had been drinking to celebrate his first birthday outside prison for some years.

The defence solicitor advocate claimed there had not been a weapon because no witness had said they had seen one.

A doctor who gave evidence for the prosecution said the 6cm wound on the landlord’s face could not have been created by a punch but would have to have been caused by something sharp.

Ms Muir said Stannard and friends arrived at the Cross Keys at 4pm on November 4, 2020, the last evening the pub was open before a national lockdown.

At 9.15pm, Stannard appeared to start an argument with one of his group and squared up to them.

As staff got customers to leave at closing time at 10pm, Stannard was aggressive and appeared to be looking for trouble, said Ms Muir.

He did leave, but returned and was asked to leave again.

In the car park, he attacked a pub regular who was “extremely drunk,” said Ms Muir.

Mr Thomason intervened.

After cutting his forehead, Stannard ran to a car and left in it. He handed himself in later.

Stannard is currently on an indeterminate sentence for public protection for arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. He was recalled to prison following the attack to continue serving the sentence. He has previous convictions for arson endangering life and violence.

Mr Kutte said Stannard was remorseful about the attack.

He wanted to serve his sentence, get married and raise a family, the lawyer told the court.