A dad left scarred for life after he was smashed in the face with a bottle has told of the heartbreaking moment his children first saw his life-changing injuries.

Samuel Dale needed extensive surgery after he was attacked for unknowingly “stealing a kiss” from someone else’s girlfriend.

He was hit over the head and in the face with a bottle, ending up on the ground with two of his teeth smashed and his cheekbone fractured in four places.

His attacker, Ruardhi Snook, of St George’s Terrace, Herne Bay, has now been jailed for six-and-a-half years following a four-day trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

The jury heard how Mr Dale was walking through Whitstable with a friend and three men and a woman his pal knew on June 26, 2015.

As they headed there from the Wall Tavern in Middle Wall, Mr Dale started talking to the woman, who was out with Snook, who is her brother, as well as her boyfriend and another man.

“As we were walking, she leaned towards me and started to kiss me on the mouth,” he told the court. “I had asked her which of the three men was her boyfriend and she said that none of them were.

“I was being a bit cheeky and that’s when she kissed me. It was then I heard one of the men shout ‘oi, that’s my girlfriend’. I said ‘sorry mate, I didn’t know’.”

“This was an ugly, nasty scene on a street at night for which the only explanation can be the excessive consumption of alcohol. You have also shown no remorse..." - Recorder Sir Geoffrey Nice QC

A row erupted and Mr Dale was hit with the bottle by Snook in what judge Recorder Sir Geoffrey Nice QC described as an “unprovoked attack on a man you didn’t know”.

Officers carried out a number of enquiries to locate Snook and he was arrested on August 13, 2015.

He pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent but was convicted by a jury after five-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

Sir Geoffrey told Snook: “You became engaged in somebody else’s argument on behalf of your brother-in-law. All four of you then left the scene to avoid responsibility and an investigation which would have revealed the truth by the police.

“This was an ugly, nasty scene on a street at night for which the only explanation can be the excessive consumption of alcohol. You have also shown no remorse.”

The court was told Mr Dale will suffer “physically and emotionally for the rest of his life”.

He told the police: “As a result of being assaulted I am left with permanent scarring and my cheek was fractured in four places. The scars are a permanent reminder of what happened.

“The biggest and most traumatic thing to have happened as a result of the incident is the look on my children’s faces when they saw all the injuries I had. I was not in a good way and this scared and upset them, which breaks my heart.”

Investigating officer DC Daniel Adelsberg said: "There is no excuse for violence of this kind, let alone when a weapon such as a bottle is used.

"Ruardhi Snook’s actions were wholly unacceptable and he should count himself fortunate that his victim was not more seriously injured or worse."