A chef was left with "life-changing" scars after being glassed in the face by a man he pushed to the ground in the VIP area of a Newcastle bar.
Newcastle Crown Court heard a fight erupted between Ola Gentry and victim Carlos De Almeida when the men were with separate groups of friends in city centre nightspot Bonbar.
Mr De Almeida's girlfriend was celebrating her birthday, and the court heard that at around 3.30am Gentry went over with a bottle as a present for the birthday girl.
Prosecutor Alec Burns said: "Both groups of people knew each other.
"It was at around 3.30am, this defendant went over and put his arm round Mr De Almeida's girlfriend.
"She wasn’t bothered but Mr De Almeida was. He pushed the defendant to the ground."
The court heard that Gentry was holding a glass when he went to the floor.
When he got up he struck Mr De Almeida once to the side of the face while still holding the glass.
Mr Burns said: "He thinks it was broken when he fell to the ground because he had a cut to his hand.
"The defendant left and the complainant went to the Royal Victoria Infirmary where he had more than 30 stitches to his face."
When Gentry was interviewed by police he explained he had taken a bottle over as a birthday gift, and "the next thing he knew he had been knocked to the floor".
Mr Burns said: "He accepted when he got up he had struck the victim once with the glass he still had in his hand."
A victim impact statement from Mr De Almeida said: "I still have a lot of scars on my face that people can see.
"My self confidence has been low and I don’t like to have my picture taken, I move my head to hide the scars.
"I’m considering trying to get surgery but this will be very expensive.
"The injury has changed my life."
Andrew Walker, defending, said Gentry was a hard working businessman as the sole trader at a car wash in Newcastle.
Gentry, 29, of Dunns Way, Blaydon, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding.
Judge Stephen Earl sentenced him to 12 months in prison, but suspended the sentence for 18 months.
He was also ordered to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work and pay his victim £4,000 in compensation.
