A man has been described as acting like a Dobermann Pinscher dog when he attacked another man and broke his hip.

George Hughes ended up in hospital for 12 days after he was attacked outside the Playhouse pub in Colchester and a court heard how he will probably be disabled for the rest of his life.

Digger driver Robert Smith, 52, said the attack was nothing to do with him and blamed another man.

But Smith, of Speedwell Road, Colchester, was convicted by a jury on a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Hughes following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court last month.

Judge Peter Dedman jailed him for two-and-a-half years when he appeared at court for sentence.

"Looking at the video of this incident, I was reminded not of the conduct of a human being but more the conduct of a Doberman Pinscher," Judge Dedman told Smith.

The trial heard how trouble flared in the Playhouse pub on September 5 after Smith accused his girlfriend of accepting a drink from Mr Hughes, who he described as her "toy boy" neighbour.

But she had paid for the drink herself, the court heard.

Smith went after Mr Hughes, punched him in the face and told him to get out of the pub. Minutes later, Smith came up to him again, put his hands around his neck and threatened to kill him.

Another customer, identified in court as Roger, separated the two men and Mr Hughes left the St John's Street pub.

But the court heard how he was followed by Smith and attacked again with a punch to the face and kick to his left leg which broke his hip.

The man known as Roger, who had followed both men out of the pub, got Smith away from Mr Hughes and remained with him as a passer-by phoned for an ambulance.

Smith was arrested later and denied the assault blaming the man called Roger.

But the jury heard how Mr Hughes was adamant it was Smith who had assaulted him.

Gareth Hughes, mitigating, said it had been an unpleasant incident but no weapon had been used and added Smith was hard working and well thought of by his employers.

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