​An ammonia attack by a teenager left a publican temporarily blind and another man with chemical burns to his mouth.

Ronnie Tudor squirted the highly alkaline liquid at his three victims, including a woman, shortly after two of his female friends had been told to leave the Northern Belle in Margate.

The 19-year-old had initially thrown a brick at the bar manager, Jonathon Turner, while he was smoking a cigarette outside.

But when two of the publican's friends - a husband and wife KentOnline is not naming at their request- intervened to help him, all three came under attack from the teen.

The ammonia, later found to have a 12.2pH level, was inside a squeezy bottle that Tudor had for protection, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

But the judge at his sentencing hearing on Thursday said ​carrying such a weapon was as dangerous as ​having a knife​, and could have had "catastrophic" consequences​.

The attack happened at about 1am on November 9 last year, prosecutor Alexa Le Moine told the court.

The defendant had been drinking in the pub in Mansion Street when two women part of his group were suspected of taking drugs in the toilet.

"As they were leaving there was an altercation which resulted in the defendant throwing a brick at the pub owner who had gone outside for a cigarette," explained Ms Le Moine.

"The couple went to see what was happening, they being friends (of the victim), and seeing a brick had been thrown at him, followed the defendant.

"He had a bottle in his hand which he squirted a liquid from....It hit one in the eye, one in the mouth and went on the woman's clothing."

Both men needed hospital treatment for injuries that included chemical burns to the mouth and cheek and a large eye ulcer.

Ms Le Moine told the court that Mr Turner lost his sight "for a few days" and, when his vision was restored, his eye was still sore and bloodshot.

He told police in a victim impact statement that the incident had left him feeling "edgy, anxious and tearful", even when walking around the town.

The second victim had to be signed off work. He also underwent therapy and said he feared for his and his wife's safety.

The court heard the incident also affected his wife's job and put a strain on the couple financially.

Tudor, of St Luke's Avenue, Ramsgate, was sentenced for two counts of causing GBH with intent, one of adminstering a noxious substance and one of having a corrosive substance in a public place, after pleading guilty to the charges.

‘Imagine how terrifying it must be not knowing when your sight would return...’

In April 2023 he was convicted of an unrelated offence of having a corrosive substance in a public place.

Kerry Waitt, defending, said the teenager had written letters of apology to his three victims.

"They express his remorse and regret, emphasising he had not gone out intending to use it or to target them," explained the lawyer.

"He bares them no ill will or malice for the future and reassures them he is learning his lesson while in custody."

Mr Waitt also told the court Tudor was "immature for his age" and had not had "the best start in life".

But he said he had made "constructive" use of his time on remand, gaining enhanced status, enrolling for education courses and seeking help for substance misuse.

"He is capable of hard work, he wants to make a better life for himself and his family, and he has the motivation to do that," added Mr Waitt.

Locking Tudor up for six years, Judge Sarah Counsell told him the injuries he had inflicted were serious, but "could have been far worse" had it not been for the swift actions of others at the scene and the emergency services.

"It must have been terrifying, in particular for the victim who was blinded by you, albeit temporarily - fortunately for him and fortunately for you," she told the youth.

"But imagine how terrifying it must be not knowing when your sight would return."

The judge said it was "only by chance" that the ammonia went on the woman's clothing and did not physically injure her.

Accepting it was not a targeted attack, she added: "You carried this corrosive substance, it seems to me, for your own protection.

"But it is as dangerous as carrying a knife or bladed article. You might not have intended to use it but there is always that danger that you might take it out and use it, which is exactly what you did.

"It is a highly dangerous weapon."

Referring to the progress made following his last conviction before "suffering a setback" and resorting to substance misuse, Judge Counsell said he was someone "not just capable of bettering himself but also supporting others".

But she said he only had himself to blame for his actions that night.

"It was your fault....The consequences could have been catastrophic," she remarked.

Tudor was told he will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence, less time spent on remand, before he can be released.