A drinker who for "no reason" left one man lying in the road with brain injuries and broke another man's jaw in York street violence has been jailed.
Gym-goer Leon Savastio, 26, suddenly punched the first victim in the head when the two were chatting calmly outside a city centre bar, said Brooke Morrison, prosecuting.
He fled as the victim lay unconscious in Little Stonegate with a fractured skull, fluid on the brain and bruising to the brain.
Savastio was on bail at the time for hitting a second man in the face in Acomb Road when the second victim had told the thug that he didn't have a cigarette to give him.
Then the thug hurled insults at the second man when the victim encountered him unexpectedly again as he was going to police to report Savaisto's actions.
Recorder Paul Reid said that victim suffered a fractured jaw and needed major dental work he couldn't afford including root canal surgery.
"You lost your temper which seems to be a feature of your personality," the judge told Savastio.
About the incident in Little Stonegate, the judge said: "The injuries were potentially life threatening, from which fortunately (the first victim) made a complete recovery.
"This sort of street violence for no reason whatsoever can only be met with an immediate custodial sentence."
Savastio, of White House Rise, off Tadcaster Road, York, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to the man in Little Stonegate and actual bodily harm to the man in Acomb Road.
He was jailed for 20 months at York Crown Court.
Lily Wildman for Savastio, said he had been "drinking to excess" on both occasions. He now wanted to concentrate on his family and had the chance of a job if he was released from jail where he had been on remand for nine weeks.
In a letter to the judge, Savastio said he held up his hands and believed he could do well on a probation course "if I get one more chance".
The court heard he has previous convictions for causing actual bodily harm and assault.
Ms Morrison said both the Little Stonegate victim and Savastio were in the Turtle Bay bar in the early evening of March 13 this year. Savastio had been buying "multiple drinks".
After the victim left the bar at 7pm, he stood for a while outside smoking and talking to Savastio.
"The defendant all of a sudden punched (the victim) once in the head before walking away and leaving (him) on the floor unconscious," she said.
In a victim personal statement, the first victim said he had had constant headaches for some time and had been unable to work for two weeks. When he did return to work, he was completely exhausted, but managed to recover.
"I try not to think about the incident but focus on getting on with my life," he wrote.
Savasto was identified from CCTV and arrested in August.
On November 7, 2021, the second victim was walking home from the pub at 11.30pm with two friends when Savastio accosted them and asked each in turn if they had a cigarette.
Each answered no and the second victim was the last to respond.
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