TWO friends who left another man needing surgery following a pub fight have avoided prison.

Duncan Robinson, of Eden Terrace, Belmont, and Jonathon Thirlwall, of South End, High Pittington, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm following the fight in Durham city centre on September 28 last year,

The pair, both aged 20, left their university student victim with a fractured jaw, which required surgery and caused him to miss most of the rugby season.

They were both given a 16 month sentence, suspended for two years, when they appeared at Durham Crown Court and were also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and each pay £1,000 compensation.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said that the pals had been out drinking on the evening of the assault when there was an altercation on Elvet Bridge.

It ended with Robinson being left with a bloody mouth, which required stitches, and torn clothing.

The pair then followed a crowd of people, which included the victim, into nearby Boathouse bar, next to the river below Elvet Bridge.

Mr Dryden added that Thirlwell spoke to the man in the bar before Robinson got involved and threw the first punch. Thirlwell then joined in and there was a “melee” involving other people in the bar at the time.

Following the incident the victim had to go to hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured jaw.

Graham O’Sullivan, mitigating, said Robinson had hopes of joining the Royal Navy while Thirlwall, who has recently become a father for the first time, had started a university course.

He said: “There is an element of provocation and although there is a melee I would submit it’s not a classic repeated sustained attack.

“These are two young men who have a lot of good things ahead of them I hope and this was completely out of character for them both”

Recorder Mark McKone said: “This was over a year ago now, there has been no further trouble and you have got on with your positive lives.

“You will not get another chance. If there’s any more fighting in pubs it will have to be a prison sentence. There’s clearly a lot of good in your lives. You have let yourselves down and your families down when you got involved in this and it must not happen again.”