A PUB landlord was brutally attacked by a thug he invited in for a private drink.

Patrick Farry, 60, suffered a broken cheek bone, two deep cuts to his head, severe bruising and a fractured ankle after striking up a conversation with Anthony Mather outside Paddys Goose in Manchester city centre.

The walls and carpets were splattered with blood following the attack, Manchester Crown Court was told.

Mather, 26, admitted causing the horrific catalogue of injuries yet claimed he had only thrown three punches and one kick.

But a judge called his account `unworthy of belief' after hearing how the attacker's body and clothes were also stained with blood.

Mr Farry had been out with friends when he returned to his pub, on Bloom Street, in the early hours of Sunday February 22, where Mather was stood outside. The two struck up a conversation and Farry invited Mather inside for a drink.

Prosecutors argued that Mather, of Byron Avenue, Droylsden, had used a fire extinguisher in the attack.

Mather, who has a string of previous robbery convictions, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and robbery at an earlier hearing, but denied using a weapon in the assault.

Further evidence was given to determine whether an extinguisher, found on the floor where the attack happened, had been used as a bludgeon.

A statement from a hospital doctor said the landlord's injuries `were consistent with blunt trauma'.

However, the extinguisher found at the scene exploded as it was being taken back to a police station before it could be fingerprinted.

Judge Michael Henshall said: "The defendant says this was caused by three punches and one kick. It is completely unworthy of belief. The victim's face bears the evidence of a prolonged attack. It was a frenzied attack."

Warning he was considering an indeterminate sentence, Judge Henshall ordered a report into whether Mather was a danger to the public.

He was ordered to appear for sentencing in September.