A teenager who smashed his best mate's jaw in a jealous rage has been locked up for nine months.

Chef Darren Neeson, 19, lost his temper after finding out that his then girlfriend had dumped him and gone back to her former boyfriend Mark Sherry.

Neeson, who had been visiting Mr Sherry's flat in Butler Street, Bradford, later told police that his friend had been boasting about the situation and he became enraged.

While Mr Sherry, also 19, was sitting on the floor near the fire Neeson came up behind him and began to kick him repeatedly about the head and body.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that as a result of the sustained attack last June, Mr Sherry suffered a gashed head, broken teeth and three fractures to his jaw.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said Mr Sherry had to be detained in the Bradford Royal Infirmary for three days and his jaw had to have a permanent plate fitted.

After his release from hospital Nee-son, of Halesworth Crescent, Holme Wood, telephoned his friend to apologise. Yesterday he was sent to a young offenders' institution after admitting causing grievous bodily harm.

His barrister Suzanne Smailes said: "He is appalled and ashamed of his behaviour.''

She revealed that in January Neeson had been diagnosed as suffering from diabetes but there had been difficulties in getting his insulin levels right. Neeson's mother had indicated that she could not tell what kind of mood he would be in from one minute to the next and Mrs Smailes suggested that he may have been having trouble mentally coming to terms with the illness. But Recorder Sandra Keen said despite everything that had been said on Neeson's behalf the court could not disregard the fact that someone had been kicked in the head.

She added: "Mrs Smailes has said that for 99 per cent of the time you are a perfectly reasonable young man. We accept that ... but unfortunately we are dealing with the one per cent of the time when you weren't.

"The complainant it appears has very honourably and nobly forgiven you, but we cannot ignore the fact that on this particular occasion you totally lost control."

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