A married couple who got "the wrong end of the stick" reacted violently to a perceived homophobic slur and left a man with a fractured jaw.

Assuming the derogatory term had been directed at them, husbands Prince and Rubern Garland lashed out during a night drinking at The Cherry Tree pub in Canterbury.

A drink was poured over one man's head and punches were thrown before the victim Elliott Knights-Sloane had his ponytail grabbed, his head yanked backwards and was then struck so hard to the face he was knocked unconscious.

He later needed surgery to fix his jaw with a metal plate and pins, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

The Garlands both have a history of violence, with Rubern on licence for a five-year prison stretch at the time of the attack on August 8 last year.

But a judge told the pair on Friday at their sentencing hearing that although his "gut reaction" had been to send them both to jail, there was "just a chance" rehabilitation could be achieved in the community.

The court heard Mr Knights-Sloane was with friends and sitting at a table next to the Garlands outside the pub when, at around 11pm, Prince Garland went up to them and they began chatting about fashion.

The 31-year-old was described as appearing drunk, slurring slightly and a little unsteady on his feet.

However, the mood changed when one of Mr Knights-Sloane's pals made a comment which, said prosecutor Andrew Hallworth, although it "could be taken as an insult by someone of a homosexual nature", he was in fact referring to himself.

"That was misheard by Prince Garland – he took offence and poured his drink over the man's head, shouting and swearing and calling him various names," Mr Hallworth told the court.

"It was at that point that Rubern Garland approached to see what was happening and Prince Garland pointed and said 'He just called me a fag', to which Rubern replied: 'I'll f***ing knock him out!'

"The complainant then found himself trying to remedy things, explaining that nothing was meant by this and they had got the wrong end of the stick. But they just would not listen and their attention turned on him."

Although Rubern Garland continued with his "knocking out" threat, he and his partner moved away. It was when another pal of Mr Knights-Sloane approached their table that violence flared.

The man was punched by Rubern but did not react and "stood still in shock", Mr Hallworth told the court. Mr Knights-Sloane however hit back at Prince Garland in defence of his friend.

It was then that he felt his hair being tugged and his head pulled backwards by Prince Garland as Rubern Garland landed a punch to the right side of his face.

"That knocked him to the floor and the next thing he remembered was waking up from being knocked unconscious and the two men had gone," added the prosecutor.

The court heard Prince Garland had also kicked Mr Knights-Sloane's arm as he fell to the floor.

With his jaw swollen and struggling to eat, the victim went to hospital where the fracture was discovered. The court heard he was in pain for several days, could not work, and was left with a numb sensation.

Despite having surgery to repair the fracture, his teeth were left offset and he may require extensive, corrective orthodontic treatment, the court was told. He also described how his anxiety worsened and he was "in fear and panic".

"He describes it as a life-changing injury from what went from a minor disagreement to immediate violence," Mr Hallworth said.

Rubern, 30, and Prince, of Creine Mill Lane North, Canterbury, later pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Rubern, a plasterer by trade, has 14 previous convictions for 30 offences, including battery and possession of an offensive weapon, and was on licence from prison for offences of robbery and possessing a bladed article.

Prince has previous convictions for assault causing actual bodily harm in 2011 and inflicting grievous bodily harm in 2017, for which he received a suspended sentence.

John FitzGerald, defending Rubern, said he had "reacted wrongly and badly" to overhearing derogatory, homophobic language, and when he heard the victim needed surgery "his heart sank".

The barrister added that his criminal history was due to his "chaotic" lifestyle at the time, but that he came out of prison having tackled his drug problems and was now in a stable, four-year relationship with his partner while "living in a proper home" for the first time and working.

James Burke, defending Prince, told the court he made "an error of judgement" at the perceived "provocative" insult, having endured bullying and abuse relating to his sexuality over the years.

But he added his client had not sought to "minimise or justify" his behaviour that night and had expressed "remorse, regret and recognition that he could have reacted in a way that sought to avoid conflict".

"It's a pretty unedifying display of aggression and violence...”

Passing sentence, Recorder Edmund Fowler said the pair had "acted as a team" during their violent outburst, with Rubern "shouting the odds" before striking the victim and Prince "quick to use a shod foot".

"It's a pretty unedifying display of aggression and violence," he told the couple, before adding he was "not blind" to the fact they would have experienced discrimination which made them both sensitive to the comments of others and protective of each other.

On his decision to suspend a 15-month jail term for Rubern and 12 months' imprisonment for Prince, Recorder Fowler said: "Frankly, my gut reaction was to send you both inside immediately.

"But having read all about you in the pre-sentence reports and heard from your learned counsel, there may be just a chance that with appropriate requirements there is a prospect of rehabilitation for you both."

Ordering that both sentences be suspended for two years, Rubern must also undertake 150 hours of unpaid work, 40 rehabilitation activity requirements (RAR), and the Thinking Skills programme.

Both were given an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 120 days and Prince was ordered to carry out 25 RAR days. They were also told to pay Mr Knights-Sloane a total of £400 compensation within six months.

But with the sentences being met with replies of "Thank you" from the defendants in the dock as well as cheers and applause from their many friends in the public gallery, Recorder Fowler warned jail was still hanging over their heads.

He told the couple: "You should both be under no illusion as to how things will play out if either of you breach or fail to comply… You can expect to go to prison for the full term."