A TEENAGER who broke a man’s jaw with a single punch has been sentenced to 15 months in a young offenders’ institution.

Adam Gonzalez, 19, was part of a group of young people throwing snowballs at each other and at members of the public when he punched Matthew Hinnells a week before Christmas last year, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Sentencing Gonzalez to 15 months’ detention in a young offenders’ institution, Judge John Devaux said the group had been behaving in a “boorish manner” and Gonzalez had probably been trying to impress younger members of the group when he hit Mr Hinnells.

Judge Devaux said Gonzalez had not been acting in self-defence and Mr Hinnells had done nothing to provoke him.

Judge Devaux said he was also satisfied that Mr Hinnells had not been racially abusive towards Gonzalez.

Gonzalez, of Valley Road, Leiston, was convicted by a jury of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Hinnells, who had to undergo surgery on his broken jaw.

Jude Durr, for Gonzalez, said his client was only 18 at the time of the offences and was “young and immature”.

He said Mr Hinnells’ unfortunate injury came from a single punch and there had been no other blows or gratuitous kicking while he was on the ground.