The girlfriend of a man who glassed a stranger in a nightclub said she will "always and forever" be by his side.
Lee McGuiness, 21, was seen "laughing" and "joking" in McDonalds just moments after the attack which left 18-year-old Jake Hopwood suffering from nightmares and sleepless nights.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday, March 2, that the two strangers were in The Establishment, Wigan, on New Year's Eve in 2019 and Mr Hopwood was filming as the club was permanently closing the next day.
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Despite Mr Hopwood trying to explain that he wasn't filming him, Karl Scholz, prosecuting, said McGuiness wasn't interested in explanations and knocked the phone out of his hand before attacking him.
McGuiness, 21, of Rivenmill Place, Widnes, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on the day his trial was due to start last month.
He pleaded on the basis he had not deliberately armed himself with a weapon and the case involved recklessness. It was clear the implement was glass but it was not known if it was a bottle or a glass.
McGuiness wiped away tears as he stood in the dock, with Judge Gary Woodhall jailing him for 15 months.
On the day of the sentencing on Wednesday, his girlfriend Courtney Behan took to her public Facebook page to share a collage of photos of her and McGuiness together.
She captioned the post: "Couldn't love anyone anymore than I love you. Always and forever by your side."
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mr Hopwood required hospital treatment after the attack and has been left with a lump which is being monitored by the hospital and he may need plastic surgery.
In impact statements Mr Hopwood, who was 18 at the time of the assault, said it was the first New Year’s Eve he had spent in a club and it would be his last.
He is still suffering pain because of nerve damage to his head and ear which makes basic things such as human touch or brushing his hair painful.
Mr Hopwood said that as a result of the incident he fell behind with his university work and had to retake his second year which increased his debt by £17,000.
In his impact statement he said: “I still cannot believe someone could smash a glass against someone’s head for no good reason and walk away like nothing had happened.
“He was in McDonald’s an hour later laughing and joking and eating while I was sat in A & E with my mum waiting to be seen.”
Peter White, defending, said that McGuiness had “grossly misinterpreted the situation and acted wholly inappropriately. He acted out of character.”
He has no previous convictions and the offence happened more than two years ago.
Mr White said the defendant works in a B&M warehouse and lives with his parents and his girlfriend as they are saving up for a home together. He looks after his father who is registered disabled and his mother has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Judge Gary Woodhall said he took into account his mitigation and that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation but the only appropriate punishment was immediate imprisonment.
