MAGISTRATES have awarded £600 compensation to a publican who was perm- anently scarred in an attack in his bar.

Paul Critchley, licensee of the Three Crowns and Sugar Loaf, Kidderminster, was punched in the face and had a forehead wound opened by a ring on his assailant's fist, the court heard.

The attacker admitted drinking 15 pints of cider and lager in an all-day session on a Sunday in April.

Neil Littleton, 29, of Plimsoll Street, Kidderminster, admitted assault causing bodily harm.

He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community work and to pay £118 costs. The court banned him from the Three Crowns for two years.

He had been one of a party which was refused service because it included a man who was barred from the pub, said prosecutor Owen Beale.

They left but Littleton returned later, demanded a drink and clashed with the landlord by forcing his way behind the bar.