A St. George's man who blinded another in one eye during a fight was sentenced to two years in jail on Friday.

Alvin Eugene Crane, 39, of Wellington Hill, St. George's was sentenced in Supreme Court to two years in prison and three years probation for causing grievous bodily harm to Cornell Lovell on March 25, 2005.

In court, Senior Crown counsel Paula Tyndale read out Crane's extensive history of prior convictions from 1990, which included an assault charge in a Florida court and multiple convictions for assault and resisting arrest in Bermuda.

Ms Tyndale asked Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves to consider in his sentencing Crane's conviction history, his admission of drug abuse and the seriousness of the attack on Mr. Lovell, which blinded him in his left eye.

Mr. Lovell previously told the court that on March 25, 2005 he returned home to find Crane sitting at his table.

He had told Crane not to come to his house on earlier occasions and asked him to leave.

A fight ensued, which ended with Mr. Lovell losing the sight in his left eye.

Ms Tyndale told the court Mr. Lovell had been working at Eve's Cycles when the incident happened but, because of the injury, was unable to work causing him to lose $2,400 in earnings.

Defence lawyer Rick Woolridge, however, asked for leniency due to the lack of intent to cause grievous bodily harm saying Crane was defending himself and had not intended to punch Mr. Lovell so hard as to cause the blinding.

Mr. Woolridge added: "The doctor said it doesn't take much to cause harm to the eye. Mr. Crane is a big man, a strapping man. In the heat of the moment Mr. Crane was protecting himself, but in the heat of the moment, it was too much."

Crane had been in Camp Spirit trying to stay off drugs, Mr. Woolridge said, but for the past month while in Westgate, he has been unable to attend the classes.

Mr. Greaves called Mr. Woolridge's defence a Hollywood defence saying: "Is that not popular, the Hollywood technique? That has gotten into the courts in Bermuda.

"The US Congressman sends text messages to pages and then goes to rehab. If you had the problem the whole time why not go in earlier and not act like your in Hollywood?"

On his own behalf, Crane said: "First and foremost, my deepest apologies to Mr. Lovell for his injuries and to his family and his friends."

He also apologised to his mother, saying: "I know this doesn't just affect me.

"It was never my intention to injure this man. I'm very remorseful and ask for everything to be taken into consideration."

Mr. Greaves, however, did not accept the defendant's argument of self defence and sentenced Crane to two years in prison and three years probation on the condition he submits to rehabilitative services.