A friends’ night out ended in "disaster for all" after one was violently assaulted by another in pub toilets and left with a broken jaw.

Jordan Jennings was at the Queen Street Tap in Deal when he was wrongly accused by Cameron Finley, who he had known since school, of "chatting up his bird", Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Having confronted Mr Jennings in the men’s loos, an "aggressive and animated" Finley kicked the door shut before repeatedly punching his victim in the face and knocking him to the floor.

The build-up to the assault was captured on "crystal clear" CCTV, but the court heard how another friend, Dennie Mapstone, turned the camera to the wall before the first blow was struck.

Mr Jennings recalled being hit as many as six times, suffering a double jaw break in the process. He also had a tooth knocked out and later needed his wisdom teeth removed.

Finley, 23, of Rectory Road, Deal, subsequently pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Mapstone, 26, of Manor House Drive, Kingsnorth, Ashford, denied the same charge but was convicted by a jury on the grounds he had "encouraged and assisted" his co-defendant rather than landed any blows himself.

Prosecutor Neil King said all three men had spent the evening of June 12, 2021, at the Queen Street pub. As the night wore on, Finley became "more and more affected" by alcohol and "increasingly antagonistic".

Trouble flared at about 2am after his then-girlfriend became unwell and Mr Jennings had checked to see if she was OK, Mr King told the court.

CCTV then showed him going into the men's toilets. A short while later Mapstone emerged, bumped into Finley and told him of Mr Jennings's whereabouts.

The two men then went into the loos together, where the footage showed Finley "immediately confronting" Mr Jennings, said the prosecutor.

"It is quite clear Mr Finley was animated and Mr Jennings said it was based on unfounded allegations about whether he had been trying to chat up the woman," Mr King told the court.

"Mr Finley took steps to continue this confrontation by kicking the door shut to prevent Mr Jennings from leaving.

"Mr Mapstone was present and could see all of this. He then chose at a certain point to turn the CCTV camera, which provided crystal clear coverage of the lavatory, against the wall.

"What then must have followed was Mr Finley resorting to attacking Mr Jennings by punching him with significant force to the head and sending him to the floor.

"He went for a good evening out with friends, including you two, and that evening was a disaster for all of you...”

"There is some dispute as to how many times he hit him. Mr Jennings recalls six punches, Mr Finley says it was three.

"But it matters not considering he used significant force to punch a man who could not have seen it coming."

Finley and Mapstone then left the toilets. Mr Jennings went home "in considerable pain" and, having woken up the next day "in a worse state", went to hospital where his jaw had to be repaired with surgery, said the prosecutor.

Mr Jennings was unable to eat or talk properly for a month and had to take two months off work.

Finley texted Mr Jennings while he was in hospital offering to pay for any dental treatment, but he and Mapstone both gave "no comment" interviews to police.

The court heard the case was said to have caused "some bad blood" and the three no longer played football together.

Neither defendant has any previous convictions and were said at their sentencing hearing on Friday to have acted "completely out of character".

Ian Foinette, defending Finley, told the court he was "not a yob or recidivist" and had "reacted that night in a way he bitterly regrets".

"It is quite obvious this case has been a tragedy for all those involved," explained Mr Foinette.

"Mr Finley and Mr Jennings go back to their school days, played football together, and the effect of what happened that night is that the friendship has been severed, and understandably so."

The court was told that although Mapstone had since expressed remorse and was "extremely regretful" for what happened to the victim, he is currently appealing his conviction.

Finley was handed an eight-month jail term suspended for two years, with 180 hours of unpaid work and up to 20 rehabilitation activity sessions. He was also ordered to pay £3,000 compensation and £425 court costs.

Mapstone was given a two-year community order with 250 hours' unpaid work. He must pay £500 compensation and £2,800 in costs.

Sentencing them, Recorder David Elvin KC said he "could not underestimate the unpleasantness and pain" experienced by Mr Jennings as a result of an "unfortunate misunderstanding" and Finley's "drunken behaviour".

"He went for a good evening out with friends, including you two, and that evening was a disaster for all of you," he added.

"You all played football together and it's clear that friendship, for obvious reasons, has ended.

"It was, to a certain degree, impulsive and relatively short-lived but saying that, I do not underestimate the impact of what you did."

Both men were told they could each pay their financial penalties at the rate of £100 a month.