A TEENAGER “off his face” with drugs punched a woman who offered him assistance when he fell into a glass table, shattering it on impact.

Durham Crown Court heard Aaron Anderson’s single blow caused a double fracture of her jaw.

She and her son, 17, were invited for drinks to a house in Pemberton Avenue, Consett, on October 13 last year.

On their arrival, Anderson was already present, behaving in aggressive manner, punching the walls.

Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said the host kept telling Anderson to calm down, but his aggressive demeanour became worse when other guests arrived.

Anderson threatened to assault another male and threw a punch which missed, so, in self-defence, his intended target landed a blow, knocking the defendant backwards, into a glass table.

Mr Pallister said the table shattered and Anderson was left face up, apparently briefly rendered unconscious.

The female neighbour, who was first aid trained, went to his aid, but he came round and punched her in the face.

Feeling immediate pain, she and her son left and went to hospital, where Anderson turned up later with his mother seeking to apologise.

The victim asked hospital staff to be moved and eventually underwent treatment to the complicated fracture, which required her to remain in hospital overnight.

Mr Pallister said she had two metal plates inserted to stabilise the fractures, but still suffers numbness and pain 13 months later.

Anderson, 19, of The Bye, Consett, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Vic Laffey, mitigating, said: “It was an awful incident for which he feels extreme remorse. He can’t dispute anything because of the state he was in that night.”

But Mr Laffey said Anderson has since stopped taking drugs and has curbed his drinking.

Judge Jonathan Carroll told Anderson: “This is a truly shocking example of gratuitous violence inflicted by somebody who was off their face with a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.”

He said the attack has had a “profound and significant” effect on the victim.

Judge Carroll imposed a 14-month sentence in a young offenders’ institution and made him subject to a five-year restraining order, prohibiting any contact with the victim.