A SENIOR judge said Worcester and Hereford were 'disfigured' by drunken violence as he jailed two men for bloody assaults.

Judge Robert Juckes QC jailed two men and gave a third a suspended sentence at the city's crown court yesterday. One victim suffered fractured teeth and the other will be left with a scar.

Judge Juckes said: "This is a particularly good example of the kind of behaviour which in local cities causes huge disturbance amongst the inhabitants, causes a feeling of loss of security by people who want to be out and about at night and disfigures both the cities of Worcester and Hereford."

Richard Franck, prosecuting, said the first incident involved Max Stutz and Brandon Holland in Hereford at around 2am outside the town's London Look Barbers in Commercial Road on September 15, 2018.

A woman had been out with a work colleague when Stutz 'yelled in her face', telling her he knew her boyfriend after making the mistaken assumption that she was 'cheating' on him.

"She described herself as being absolutely terrified" said Mr Franck. When she was pushed to the ground by Stutz, her friend attempted to defend her but was knocked to the ground and attacked by both defendants and 'ended up unconscious'. He suffered a number of injuries, including a fractured tooth which required six separate dental appointments to treat and cost £420.

Another incident, also in Hereford, happened over Christmas 2018 and involved Stutz and another man called Marley Williams, half-brother of the victim, Jake Pardoe.

Mr Pardoe had sent a message to Williams's partner to say he had cheated on her. When he returned from his mother's address Williams and Stutz were waiting for him in the home of his girlfriend, Melissa McGregor. The attack began as Williams said to his half-brother Mr Pardoe: "Do you know what you've done?"

The prosecution say the men made him send another message to Williams's partner saying the first message had been 'a lie'. Mr Franck, prosecuting, said Mr Pardoe was punched several times to the face and threatened with a champagne bottle by Williams. He was kicked in the ribs and struggled to his mother's house, 'covered in blood'. He suffered a 2cm by 1cm cut which required five stitches.

Amanda O'Mara, for Holland, said her client had suffered a black eye in the first incident and claimed he had been punched first. She described how the father was in the Army, had been married but had discovered his wife of four years had been having an affair, submitting that this his behaviour had been 'out of character'. Brandon Holland, 21, of Sycamore Avenue, Hereford, was sentenced to 15 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Max Stutz, 21, of Grafton Walk, Hereford was jailed for three years for two assaults occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, criminal damage and breach of a conditional discharge.

Marley Williams, 21, of Primrose Close, Hereford was jailed for 18 months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and breach of a conditional discharge.