Punching another man in the face has cost a Warwick man nearly $30,000, Magistrates’ Court heard.Richard Brown, 35, of Glenwood Park Crescent, yesterday pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm against Matthew Claridge on December 5.Brown initially denied assaulting Mr Claridge at his January court appearance. Both men are expatriate workers residing in Bermuda.According to Crown counsel Takiyah Burgess, the incident took place at about 1.40am, in Docksiders Pub and Restaurant on Front Street.The court heard that Brown was unknown to his victim at the time of the attack.Mr Claridge, of Smith’s, had gone out that night to watch the Teachers’ Fight Night boxing, at the Berkeley Institute. After midnight, he accompanied some friends to Docksiders to watch cricket.Ms Burgess said that Mr Claridge had been returning alone from the bathroom when some men he recognised called out to him from another group. Brown, whom he did not know, was among them.Mr Claridge engaged in a “light-hearted chat” with the group, she said, when Brown delivered him “a substantial punch to the face”.One of his teeth was knocked out, and an ambulance was called for him. Mr Claridge lost a second tooth at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, and required four stitches to the inside of his mouth. A gash to his head also had to be closed with glue.Ms Burgess said the bar’s CCTV cameras had caught the attack on film, and that when police reviewed the tape, it “clearly showed” that Brown punched without warning.In a subsequent letter to his victim, Brown expressed remorse and offered money.The court also heard that Brown admitted the offence after being arrested. He claimed to police that “a disparaging remark about his wife caused him to lose control”.Brown stood before Acting Magistrate Shade Subair as the charges were read out, while Mr Claridge sat at the back of the courtroom.The court then heard from defending lawyer Allan Doughty that Brown has paid $17,000 to cover Mr Claridge’s medical and dental costs, plus a further $10,000, to avert civil proceedings.Mr Doughty asked the court to take this into consideration, along with Brown’s remorse. He called for a social inquiry report, plus a community-based sentence.Mr Doughty also said there “had been some drinking” on the night of the incident.Ms Subair adjourned Brown’s sentencing until June, extending his $2,000 bail. She ordered a social inquiry report, as well as a victim impact statement.