A violent thug who broke a man’s arm in a homophobic attack has had his sentence cut after a top judge said he was unhappy in prison.

Troy Perrin, 36, of High Street, Brighton, hurled his victim to the ground after chasing him down the street following the Pride festival in summer 2007.

But an appeal judge said the four-year sentence he was given for grievous bodily harm was “manifestly excessive”.

Instead he cut the time Perrin must serve to two-and-a-half years.

Michael Lennon, 44, who had travelled to Brighton from Grimsby for the festival on August 5, was trying to find the railway station at 6am when Perrin attacked him in St James’s Street.

People living nearby found Mr Lennon bleeding in the road after hearing him plead: “Stop, please stop.”

He suffered permanent scarring and restricted movement in his arm.

He needed two operations on his injury.

Perrin, a pizza delivery driver, had previous convictions for hurling racist and homophobic abuse and threatening behaviour.

He claimed he had been provoked by Lennon making homosexual advances towards him.

The case went to trial in November last year but a jury at Lewes Crown Court took just an hour to find him guilty.

Pleading for mitigation, John Marsden-Lynch, defending Perrin, said: “The offence was aggravated by homophobic abuse but the injuries caused were reckless rather than intentional.”

But Judge Janet Waddicor said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack.

“I have heard all the evidence and I reject without any hesitation that Mr Lennon approached him or touched him in a sexual way.”

Handing down his sentence, she said: “Mr Lennon was an innocent visitor to Brighton.

“You attacked him for no other reason than you thought he was homosexual.

“You hurled homophobic abuse at him and were a nasty bully to a wholly innocent man.”

Hearing Perrin’s appeal against the length of his sentence, Lord Justice Moses said Perrin was a man with a "troubled past", beset by mental problems and now "desperate and suicidal in jail".

He said the severe injuries inflicted resulted from "one single push" and four years in prison was too harsh.