A MAN has been jailed after a row over business spilled into violence, leaving a man with a broken jaw and serious injuries to his face.

Ashley Williamson, 28, had had known his victim Daniel Gardener since school and the pair had worked together at Mr Gardener’s company, which supplied shutters to businesses.

But after Williamson’s employment came to an end in June 2014 the pair fell out as Mr Gardener suspected Williamson was passing on information to a competitor in the trade.

On August 11 2015 Williamson went to Mr Gardener’s house in Astley Bridge with Oliver Smith, 28, and the pair were invited in.

But when Williamson and Mr Gardener started to argue, the row broke out into violence.

Williamson, of Bardon Close, Halliwell, admitted punching Mr Gardener twice as Smith, of Eldon Street, Bolton, shouted encouragement. Williamson was jailed for 20 months. Smith was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

Stella Massey, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court: “At around 1.45am the next door neighbour was awake as she was suffering a headache.

“She heard a scream of pain and then another, and another, then a raised voice, followed by another scream.”

“She concluded someone was being attacked and called the police.”

When officers arrived at 2am Mr Gardener was seriously injured, although he initially refused an ambulance.

When he was examined at the Royal Bolton Hospital at 4.30am he was found to have a fractured jaw and swelling and pain to his face.

He remained in hospital for four days where his jaw was fitted with titanium plates.

Miss Massey said: “He went back to his home but he couldn’t sleep and didn’t feel safe.

“He moved house almost immediately and lost his £1,000 bond as he couldn’t find accommodation straight away.

“Effectively, he was made homeless.

“As a result of being in hospital he lost a contract to install rolling shutters and lost work from people who did not think he was reliable.”

Williamson pleaded guilty to wounding on the basis he only threw two punches - although they were powerful as he weighs 15 stones. Smith admitted aiding and abetting wounding on the basis that he encouraged the attack but told Williamson to stop after two punches as Mr Gardener had “had enough”.

Both men were arrested on suspicion of breaking into Mr Gardener’s house and attacking him with a baseball bat while he slept, but the court accepted they had been invited in and had not used a weapon in the assault.