A man from Wiltshire punched his neighbour in the face during a "savage and unprovoked" attack after an argument over a bin, a court has heard.

Jason Howard, 53, from Tornado Close, Calne, thought it would be okay to use his neighbours' bin after they had just moved out. 

The victims, a couple, returned to the property to check everything was okay on Tuesday, December 19 last year.

They found the bin had been used by Howard, which was an issue because part of their leaving agreement was that it needed to be empty.

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They confronted Howard, when he punched the man in the face and then pushed the woman, causing her to fall backwards. 

He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, May 8. 

The court heard how the victim lost one of his front teeth following the punch and another was removed during surgery. 

A victim's statement was read out in court, which said: "It has affected my confidence greatly. I lost all my confidence when talking with people, I find it difficult to leave the house, I'm worried about job interviews and I feel I will be judged negatively due to how the assault made me look."

In mitigation, Harriett Heard said Howard wanted to "express his apology" and that it was "not his intention to cause any injury on that day in question".

She added that Howard had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and anxiety, which contributed towards his actions on the day, which he 'doesn't remember much of'. 

It was ruled that the assault was serious enough to receive a custodial sentence, but after acknowledging the defendant's mitigating circumstances surrounding his mental health a community order was imposed.

A Magistrate said: "Mr Howard, this was a particularly nasty assault, we’ve seen the photographic evidence and we’ve taken into account everything regarding your circumstances and your mental health issues."

The order will be in place for 18 months, with Howard required to attend 30 rehabilitation activity days. 

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He was also given a 14-day curfew prohibiting him from leaving his house or back garden during the hours of 7pm to 7am. 

The court also awarded the victim who suffered damage to his mouth compensation.

A Magistrate added: "We have looked at the guidelines for compensation.

"This was a particularly savage and somewhat unprovoked attack, people do not expect to be punched in the face and lose teeth."

Howard must pay a compensation fee of £3,000.