A violent Bristol man has been jailed for two years for smashing someone over the head with a bottle outside a pub.

Daniel Hatherall, 26, of Stapleton Road, Eastville, was jailed by Recorder Claire Miskin after his conviction by a jury last month for grievous bodily harm. During the trial, the court heard the bloody incident of December 28 had stemmed from a feud over a £10 loan.

Hatherall attacked Daniel Holly with a bottle near the Van Dyck Forum pub in Fishponds, leaving him needing eight staples in the back of his head, as well as eight stitches to his back.

The clash had followed a heated exchange in the pub. Outside, Hatherall dragged Mr Holly into the road and, causing cars to stop, smashed the glass over his head and back. His fingerprints were found on shards of glass recovered from the scene, which had Mr Holly's blood on them.

The court heard Mr Holly, 26, had fallen out with some of his neighbours, who were friends of Hatherall. Adam Vaitilingam, defending, said Hatherall believed he was acting in self defence.

"He did not deliberately go out looking for trouble or to seriously harm anybody," he said.

Mr Holly told the Evening Post after the trial that the attack was the culmination of six months of intimidation against him and his partner Keren, 35, by the defendant.

He said: "It has affected our lives so much. It started when Keren lent £10 to someone and when she asked for it back, Hatherall got involved.

"He would walk up to our house with vodka bottles and whisky bottles and hurl them at the house. The house was also pelted with eggs and small brown food bins and I had my car smashed up.

"He even came up to Morrison's in Fishponds once and when he realised we were in there, he picked up a cricket bat from the shelf and threatened us with it.

"Once, when Keren was pregnant, he walked right up to her outside the house and spat in her face. He was always trying to provoke me, but it wasn't until a few days after Christmas that he finally attacked me.

"Keren is nervous anyway and this has made her much worse. She has had nightmares about the attack. He has put us through hell for the sake of £10 – it was crazy."

Hatherall has always maintained he acted in self defence and as he was about to be sentenced yesterday, he said: "I'm genuinely sorry for what happened that night."

Sentencing, Miss Miskin said: "You carried on hitting him long after any possible self defence would have made it necessary."

Last night Mr Holly said: "I am pretty pleased with the sentence. I was worried that he would get away with it so it is some form of result."