A BARROW man has been jailed after fracturing a 25-year-old's skull with a single punch.

In September 2020 a 25-year-old man was assaulted outside Fibber McGee’s pub in James Street, Lancaster.

Door staff at the pub thought a noise they heard was a window being broken when actually it was the victim’s head hitting the floor, a Lancaster Police spokesman said.

CCTV footage showed him being struck by a single punch.

Police said the victim was knocked unconscious and later came round in hospital, with him having no recollection of the assault.

He suffered a fractured skull, broken left eye socket and a broken nose, with him undergoing surgery to have plates inserted to repair the skull fracture – 53 staples were needed across the top of his head to bind the scalp together.

Dale Coulthard, 25, from Barrow, was convicted last month at Preston Crown Court of causing grievous bodily harm.

Last week Coulthard was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

DC Peter Bennett of Lancaster police said: “One punch can cause so much harm and distress.

“In this case, a young man had suffered serious head and facial injuries and will have permanent scars. Coulthard has received a substantial prison sentence as a consequence of his actions.”