A violent 16-year-old broke a man's jaw and left him virtually unconscious with "blood everywhere" in a drug-fuelled attack.
Owen Smith, now 19, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm during the incident on July 19, 2019, Hull Live reports.
The brutal assault was carried out when the angry victim ran out of his home in the "dead of night" after a gang of "yobs and thugs" broke his fence, Hull Crown Court was told.
Carrying a curtain pole, the property owner went to confront the mob of troublemakers when he was punched in the face by the teen.
Prosecutor Katy Rafter said that Smith, of Chelmer Road, Hull, then 16, was marauding about with other youths outside the man's house in Ings Road late at night.
Damage was caused to a fence and the occupier picked up a wooden curtain pole to confront the youths.
They ran up the road and the man followed them, with his wife not far behind.
"He demanded to know who had damaged his fence," said Miss Rafter.
A 14-year-old girl shouted in his face: "If you want to hit me, just hit me."
The man's wife intervened and a fight broke out. Her husband was punched by Smith, causing him to fall to the ground apparently virtually unconscious.
Smith, denied kicking the victim during the attack.
The police were alerted and the victim was taken by ambulance to hospital, suffering a fractured lower jaw and a fractured bone near an eye.
He also suffered a laceration, which needed stitches.
"This was a serious injury that was caused," said Miss Rafter.
The man later said that he was trying to protect his home and did not know why children thought it was all right to "set about an adult".
He thought that chasing after them might deter them but his face had been "left with a gaping wound" and there was "blood everywhere".
The incident happened "in the dead of night" and he had been left feeling "dizzy" and he could not talk.
"I saw my wife's tears roll down her face," he said.
"I had to explain to the children, aged 10 and three, what happened. The man of the house has been beaten by a group of children.
"I feel so much anger to the group who caused this."
His face had been left numb and he suffered nerve damage.
Smith had convictions for 10 previous offences, mainly for dishonesty, but also including a four-month detention and training order in 2018 for assault.
He also had convictions in March last year for threatening behaviour and criminal damage.
Dale Brook, mitigating, said that a female witness had seen Smith with a wound to his back.
"It was after he sustained a wound to his back that he punched the complainant," said Mr Brook.
"I am not suggesting that it was self-defence. There is no doubt he was behaving badly with that group."
A long time had now passed since the incident.
"At the time of the offending, his life was completely out of control," said Mr Brook.
"He was taking alcohol regularly. He was taking drugs regularly.
"He was spending all of his time with an inappropriate and older group that he was misbehaving badly with and behaving in an antisocial way.
"He appreciates that, at the time, he was off the rails and behaving badly.
"His life has turned around quite significantly since. His relationship with alcohol and drugs has improved enormously.
"He no longer takes Class A drugs and only drinks at weekends and appropriately for his age."
Smith wanted to get on with his life and get a job.
"This young man needs to have a work ethic," said Mr Brook.
Judge David Tremberg told Smith: "Your behaviour as a group was patently antisocial.
"He was entitled to the quiet enjoyment of his property without yobs and thugs interfering with it. Things went from bad to worse."
The blow struck by Smith was with such force as to knock the victim practically unconscious and to cause fractures of the jaw and a bone next to his eye.
Cases such as this had ended up with victims either dead or suffering "permanent serious, terribly grave injury" and that was the risk that Smith took.
"You were playing a leading role in this gang," said Judge Tremberg.
"I take into account that young people can change quickly and there is some evidence that you are beginning to develop a degree of maturity that you did not have in July 2019."
Smith was given 135 hours' unpaid work, a three-month 8.30pm to 6.30am curfew and 12 days' rehabilitation.
Judge Tremberg warned Smith that, if he breached the order, "the next stop will be prison".
