A 'COWARDLY' construction worker who flew out of a caravan in a drunken rage and smashed a pensioner so hard it left him disfigured has been jailed.

Paul O'Brien, 43, and a group of family and friends had been staying in a caravan at Presthaven Sands Holiday Park, Gronant, Flintshire, adjacent to one owned by 72-year-old Eugene Patrick McGough and his wife.

In the early hours of May 6 this year, a 'blonde woman' was arguing with Mr McGough after he had complained about noise nuisance.

She shouted "get him Paul" and O'Brien woke up, ran past a security guard and hit the pensioner, who has heart problems, with a single punch to the side of the head breaking his eye socket.

O'Brien, of Bridgeman Street, Farnworth, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and, at Mold Crown Court, he was sentenced to 10 months jail by Judge Rhys Rowlands, who called it a "cowardly attack".

He said: "Without any warning you punched the victim to the face. It was a heavy blow and on any view it was a cowardly drunken attack on a much older man.

"You wouldn't have done so if you had been sober. You wouldn't have done so if the blonde woman hadn't got you involved.

"It is all down to the blonde-haired woman who created this situation.

"The victim is retired. The victim is some 30 years older than you, hence my description of it being a cowardly attack."

Following the attack Mr McGough was told he could not have an operation to repair his broken eye socket, due to his ongoing heart problems.

A security guard described the injury as "a dent" in the victim's face.

He has since given up his pitch on Presthaven Sands due to the effects of the attack.

The court heard that O'Brien had been drinking since 5pm on May 5 this year and there had been an earlier dispute between his group and Mr McGough and his wife over noise.

James Coutts, defending, said he did not realise Mr McGough was the age he was and his client was "full of genuine remorse".

He said O'Brien, who has a 13 year-old son with cerebral palsy, had done a lot of work for charity and was of previous good character.

Judge Rowlands gave O'Brien credit for his early plea and recognised his previous good character, but said only a custodial sentence of 10 months was appropriate due to the serious nature of the offence.