A JEALOUS man has been jailed for breaking the cheekbone of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner in the street.

Angry Kevin Gibbings, aged 33, repeatedly punched and head butted the man saying something like ‘you slept with my missus’.

Victim Christopher Cornish was left with a broken cheekbone and badly bruised face, a court heard.

Gibbings made up a story that Mr Cornish and three mystery men attacked him in the centre of Tavistock.

He was due for trial after denying inflicting grievous bodily harm but he changed his plea in the face of a jury at Plymouth Crown Court.

Judge Paul Darlow jailed Gibbings, of West Street, Tavistock, for two years and five months.

Nick Lewin, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Mr Cornish got together with the defendant’s ex-partner.

He added that Gibbings saw Mr Cornish in West Street carrying the woman’s mobile phone near the Original Pasty House.

Mr Lewin said the defendant ‘obviously took umbrage’ to the fact that Mr Cornish was with his ex-partner.

The barrister added: ‘He approached the complainant saying something like ‘you slept with my missus’.

Mr Lewin said Gibbings punched Mr Cornish in the face at least ten times and head butted him in the face.

He added that the victim fell down briefly before staggering over to some waiting taxi drivers for help.

Mr Lewin said Mr Cornish was taken to hospital for treatment for a broken cheekbone.

He also suffered swelling and problems with his teeth.

The court heard that Gibbings claimed he struck Mr Cornish first because the complainant confronted him with three men he knew — but was not prepared to name.

Mr Lewin said that the ex-partner had obtained a civil domestic violence protection order against Gibbings.

The defendant was already behind bars for serving an eight-week sentence for breaching that order.

Ali Rafati, for Gibbings, said the defendant claimed Mr Cornish had tapped him on the shoulder and told him to leave the woman alone.

He added: ‘That resulted in a row which escalated to violence. He accepts using his head during what he says was a fight.

‘He has seen Mr Cornish and apologises for causing the injuries and wants to repeat that apology through me to the court now.’