Jail for one punch fisherman who put victim through 'hell on earth'

A fisherman from Peel has been sent to prison after fracturing a stranger's jaw with one punch.

24-year-old Mark Cain attacked the man on June 10th - leaving him with two fractures and a cracked wisdom tooth.

At Douglas Courthouse this week his advocate said the fisherman's actions had been 'out of character' and he was 'extremely remorseful'. 

The court heard Cain had met the man at The Creek Inn in the early hours of the morning when he was drunk - he ended up in an argument with him over the whereabouts of his mobile phone.

The victim and Cain were arguing in Lake Lane when, in the belief he was about to be attacked, Cain punched him in the face.  

He later pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm - in his basis of plea he accepted the blow had been 'excessive and unreasonable'.  

A statement from the victim was read to the court - he described the period since the attack as 'hell on earth' saying he'd had to eat through a straw for months and had lost his job and relationship. 

Cain's advocate's suggestion that the custody threshold hadn't been passed was branded 'incredulous' by Deemster Montgomerie - jailing Cain for 10 months he told him he didn't think there was 'sufficient good reason to warrant suspending the sentence'. 

He also ordered him to pay compensation of £2,000 to the victim and imposed an 18-month licensing ban.