Hospital doctor headbutted waiter after turning up three hours late for his table at Wafi Lounge in Newcastle

Nganjo Endeley, who had been drinking, grabbed the 21-year-old worker's shirt so tightly that he struggled to breathe and was left with red marks to his neck then fractured his eye socket with a powerful headbutt.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the waiter suffered a "huge amount of pain" and has been left with a visible dent to his forehead, which is too risky to operate on.

The 41-year-old married medic, who was described in court as a "physically imposing man" was found guilty of assault after a trial and has been given a suspended sentence after a judge said refences show he behaved "out of character" that night.

The court heard the doctor, of Bowburn, County Durham, has a previous conviction for common assault in 2001 and was cautioned for criminal damage in 2007.

Prosecutor Joe Hedworth told the court Endeley had a table booked at Wafi Lounge in Newcastle for 11.30pm on September 12 2021. But the doctor and two friends turned up at 2.30am, when it was closing and the group were "shouting and swearing" in front of the waiting staff, so door staff became involved.

Mr Hedworth said the waiter tried to "defuse" the situation, but added: "The defendant grabbed the complainant's shirt so tightly he was unable to breathe. He tried to push the defendant away. He had large hands so it proved somewhat difficult. The defendant pushed and dragged the complainant to the other side and headbutted him in the face."

In an impact statement, the waiter said this was his first ever job since he arrived in the UK as a refugee from Iraq in 2019 and he "enjoyed ever single day" he was at work.

He added: "I hope he knows he has ruined my life. I hope he's ashamed of himself. Someone who is a doctor shouldn't do things to hurt people."

Christopher Knox, defending Endeley, said the incident was "over in seconds" and handed in an "extraordinary range" of character references.

Mr Knox said Endeley has family and work commitments, had continued working until the trial and added: "This is a man who could be very useful."

Judge Sarah Mallett sentenced Endeley to two years, suspended for two years, with 250 hours unpaid work and an order to pay £2,000 compensation. The judge told him: "The references that I have seen from your friends and work colleagues paint a very different picture to the one we saw on that night. You are described as a hard working and understanding doctor, gentle, compassionate and having a calm personality."

Judge Mallett added: "I can only conclude your behaviour on this night was out of character."

Samo Wafi, the co-owner of the Lebanese restaurant, has slammed the sentence.

He said: I remember that night very well. He was a big guy. We are not happy with the sentence. That is giving him a trophy for attacking someone. It sends a message that you can attack someone and get away with it. You can be violent without going to jail. It's ridiculous.

"It tells people to take revenge with your hands instead of going to the courts. He was educated, he is a doctor. He is supposed to help people. The waiter had to go to hospital. He was offered surgery but he could have lost his sight so he refused it."

Mr Wafi added: "He moved to England from a war-torn country to be safe but he was attacked. I remember that night well. He is afraid to go outside now and doesn't go out at night. He was a hard worker and a clever kid. The staff didn't feel safe afterwards and we lost a couple of waiters."