A LARGE-SCALE brawl was sparked after a man refused to take off his baseball cap in a city centre pub, a court heard.

Newport crown court was told yesterday that 21-year-old Paul Morrisey jumped on to a pool table at Breeze on Cambrian Road when asked to adhere to the dress code - refusing to take off his baseball cap.

The incident led to a fight involving doormen and around 30 people shouting and swearing.

The court heard that Morrisey gouged the eye of head doorman Paul Harris and hit him with a bottle.

Mr Harris needed eight stitches to a wound on the back of his head and his right ear was torn.

Jon Holmes, prosecuting, said other doormen were attacked and injured. Morrisey pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and violent disorder at a hearing on July 9.

Yesterday, he received 14 months custody for the unlawful wounding and 12 months, to run concurrently, for the violent disorder.

The court heard Morrisey had five previous convictions for violence and disorder, including one offence of smashing a bottle into someone's head.

Roland Christie, defending, said Morrisey had a drink and drugs problem and had taken cocaine on the night in question. He said Morrisey could not recall anything of the incident inside Breeze.