A Ledbury man who seriously assaulted a good Samaritan with an iron bar has been sentenced to 30 months in jail.

The court was told that his victim, who subsequently won a bravery award, had undergone thousands of pounds of dental treatment to try and repair his injuries.

Phillip Ransom had been threatening a woman with the bar in Bridge Street when Richard Irons intervened and tried to stop him.

The woman was on the ground and helpless.

On Monday, Worcester Crown Court heard how Ransom, 21, lashed out at Mr Irons, who lost five teeth, suffered a gashed head, needing five stitches, and had to take 35 days off work.

Mr Irons, who worked for Minardi at European Aviation, had to spend £8,000 on dental bills and endured many visits to the dentist, to try and alleviate the constant pain he was in.

Ransom, a former Ledbury man whose address was given as Cranbrook Avenue in Hull, pleaded guilty to three counts of affray and assaulting Mr Irons, causing him actual bodily harm.

Judge John Cavell said the 21-year-old father-of-one was a devoted family man when sober but was "completely transformed by alcohol" and "ready to resort to mindless violence at the drop of a hat".

On August 24, 2003, Ransom and a group of friends became violent in The Feathers Hotel in Ledbury, after one drunken man fell onto an Asian woman and racially abused her.

Christopher Scofield, a member of staff at the Feathers, tried to break up the fight and suffered cracked ribs and an injured spleen.

Ransom pulled one man off a garden wall and head-butted him in the nose.

Granted bail, Ransom then threatened to kill a man in the Royal Oak in New Street on September 27, 2003, and hit a number of people with a pool cue.

Shortly afterwards came events in Bridge Street, when Mr Irons had tried to grab the arm of Ransom to save the woman.

Dele Alakija, defending Ransom, said his client was disgusted by is own behaviour and was overcoming a drink problem.

While in custody, on remand, his 47-year-old father had died and Ransom was ashamed to have to attend his own father's funeral in the company of by prison officers.

Speaking after the trial, Detective Sergeant Pete Butcher, of Herefordshire Police, said that Ransom had been remanded in custody since August 2004, when he was charged.

He could be released from prison, with a reduced sentence for good behaviour, possibly as early as November.

In October, Mr Irons was presented with a Chief Constable's Commendation after being nominated by Victim Support. At the time he said he would do the same thing again.