Thug Nathan Sargeant left a West Ham fan with a broken jaw – after taking exception to his Cockney accent. The 27-year-old was drinking in the Market Tavern in Hanley, Staffordshire, close to Stoke when he started an amicable conservation with two Hammers supporters in the toilets.

But the conversation turned nasty when Sargeant criticised his victim’s east London twang. The defendant then punched the fan who then hit his head on the porcelain sink and the tiled floor leaving him unconscious.

“Sergeant complained about the West Ham fan’s cockney accent. The complainant was struck to the side of the head and hit his head on the sink and then the tiled floor leaving him unconscious.”

Sargeant was arrested on Trinity Street but claimed that he had not been in the pub that night. But he went on to plead guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm on the basis that he felt threatened. The court heard the victim also suffered a broken jaw in the attack.

Recorder Martin Wasik sentenced the defendant to 10 months in prison with half served in custody and the remainder on licence.

He told Sergeant: “You have struck this man in the face and broken his jaw. Had this been an incident that was out of the blue I would have considered alternative action but because of your record I cannot.”