A Wanstead carpenter left a bystander with a chipped tooth during a drunken brawl with bouncers at a Barking pub after they didn’t let him in to use the toilet.

Marius Vasiliauskas, a 37-year-old Lithuanian national living in New Wanstead, pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrate's Court today (Thursday, September 5) to one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charge relates to an incident outside the Barking Dog, a JD Wetherspoon pub in Station Parade, Barking, on April 27 2018.

Vasiliauskas and a friend were both, according to prosecutor Philippa McCarthy, "much the worse for drink and very aggressive" when they were refused entry to the pub by bouncers.

Both men had been seen earlier in the evening drunkenly smashing bottles on the pavement outside.

Upon being turned away, Vasiliauskas' friend immediately punched a member of the public who was walking past.

The bouncers immediately intervened and managed to detain the drunk on the floor while police were called.

At this point, Vasiliauskas - who was later identified by police by the distinctive grey tracksuit he was wearing - stepped forward and punched another member of the public in the face.

That man had been helping the bouncers detain Vasiliauskas' friend and, in his victim impact statement, said the attack came "completely out of the blue".

He suffered a chipped front tooth requiring treatment from a dentist and painful facial swelling.

Vasiliauskas immediately ran away down Wakering Road but was later arrested.

During police interview, the self-employed carpenter told officers: "I hit someone who was picking on my friend and I'm very sorry."

He also told the court's probation services that he could not be sure exactly how much he and his friend had had to drink that day but that it was "a few beers and a bottle of vodka between them".

They had originally purchased this at a nearby off-licence and had only been trying to get into the pub to use its toilets, Vasiliauskas claimed.

He told probation officers they had chosen to drink in the street because they could not drink together at either of their homes because "their wives would not be happy".

The court also heard that, although Vasiliauskas has several previous convictions, all of them had been "underpinned by his alcohol use".

He was placed under a 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activities required, as well as 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He must also pay £170 to the courts and £200 in compensation to his victim.