INCENSED someone in an Isle of Wight pub had taken a photo of his girlfriend, a Newport welder headbutted and broke an innocent man's nose with such ferocity, he needed an operation under general anaesthetic.

Connor Calvin Lane, of Bowcombe, faces the prospect of going to jail after he admitted inflicting actual bodily harm against Lloyd Attrill on the evening of October 12.

Mr Attrill was out socialising with friends at the Hogshead pub in Newport.

Lane was angered one of Mr Attrill's group had taken a picture of his girlfriend and he lashed out, headbutting Mr Attrill's face, said Ann Smout, prosecuting, at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

To the police, the general manager of Hogshead identified Lane, from CCTV footage of the attack, and pointed out he had been the aggressor and started trouble.

The attack was so vicious it broke Mr Attrill's nose. He needed an operation to realign and reset it under general anaesthetic.

The injury was so sickening, Mr Attrill's mother passed out on his arrival home after his operation.

In his victim impact statement, read to the court, Mr Attrill said: "It was one of the most violent things that's ever happened to me. I have not been to a bar since in fear of something happening again."

Mrs Smout told the bench it had been an assault aimed at causing greater harm to his victim.

"The blow must have been pretty substantial to have caused so much damage," added Mrs Smout.

For Lane, James Cameron said someone in the victim's group took an inappropriate photo of his client's girlfriend.

"He accepts alcohol was a trigger. He got angry with the wrong person in the group," said Mr Cameron.

"There was an element of provocation, but he told me if he could turn back the clock, he would."

Magistrates were so alarmed by the assault, they felt their sentencing powers were insufficient to punish him and ordered a probation report on Lane.

"It was a very nasty assault — a headbutt. You used your head as a weapon and caused a broken nose and facial injuries, with a long recovery time to follow," said Jayne Watson, presiding magistrate.

Lane was bailed to reappear for sentencing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on November 27.