A man plunged a knife into the face of his brother who intervened during a heated argument the attacker was having with his partner, a court heard.

Mindaugas Pimpicka, 32, was at his home address in Norwich with others including his partner and brother.

Norwich Crown Court heard they all were drinking alcohol prior to an argument breaking out.

Andrew Oliver, prosecuting, said Pimpicka started swearing at his partner prompting his brother to intervene.

Mr Oliver said the defendant was seen by others to pick up a knife and the victim, who did not see the knife being picked up, “feared he was going to be attacked”.

Mr Oliver said: “He received what he thought was a punch in the face but it was, at that stage, the knife used to inflict a laceration to his face near to his eye”.

The court heard the victim was taken to hospital and treated for a 4cm laceration to his face and an underlying fracture to the skull.

The victim, who did not provide a victim impact statement, has a scar where the wound was caused.

Pimpicka, a Lithuanian national from Wilson Road, Norwich, appeared at court on Tuesday for sentence having previously admitted causing grievous bodily harm on March 8 last year.

Jailing Pimpicka for 32 months, Judge Katharine Moore said he had caused a “significant and permanently disfiguring injury to your brother”.

Judge Moore said he had been “sour and belligerent” prior to the incident when he armed himself with a knife and “plunged it into the face of the complainant”.

She said it was so serious that only immediate custody could be justified.

Andrew Hill, mitigating, said he had pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for his actions for which “he’s had a lot of time to think about it”.

He said everyone involved had been drinking heavily prior to a row between the defendant and his partner which got “completely out of control”.

Mr Hill said prison officers painted a positive picture of him being polite and hard-working.