A man who became embroiled in a Halloween night brawl has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence after biting a man’s lip just days before he was due to get married.

Paul Pattison was attacked outside his home and when neighbours came to his aid, he became aggressive and plunged his teeth into his victim’s lip before shaking his head from side to side.

The 43-year-old was bleeding from a head wound after being assaulted but was unaware of who launched the attack on him, Teesside Crown Court heard.

John Hobley, prosecuting, said: “On Halloween last year police had been called to a fight involving a large number of people in Brotton.

“The victim and his partner had heard the disturbance and had come out to see what was happening. The defendant had been injured at some stage during the altercation and had a bleeding head wound.”

Mr Hobley said the couple tried to help their neighbour but his behaviour was a cause for concern and they tried to push him away.

“At this point, he bit the complainant’s lip, holding it for around ten seconds while he was ‘ragging’ the man’s head around while the bite was ongoing,” he added.

The court heard how the victim was required to have hepatitis injections as a result of the injuries caused by the former drug addict just days before he was due to get married.

Pattison, of Millholme Terrace, Brotton, east Cleveland, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the incident on October 31 last year.

Tabitha Buck, mitigating, said her client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of tragedy in his childhood when he lost his mother and sister in a house fire.

She added: “What happened that night was a combination of him being assaulted, him not knowing who the attackers had been, and him acting out of impulse, combined with his PTSD.

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Recorder Mark McKone KC sentenced Pattison to 16 months in custody suspended for two years.

“A number of people were fighting in the street and it is not possible to work out what had caused that fight but I accept that you suffered a cut to your head and you were leaving the scene before this offence took place,” he said.

“I accept that your injury affected your judgement and your temper.”

The defendant was ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.