A 36-year-old man who punched another man unconscious in a Hamilton bar has been granted permission to repatriate to the UK.Richard Brown finished work in Bermuda yesterday and his permit is expected to expire at the end of this month, his lawyer Allan Doughty told Magistrates’ Court.Brown punched another man, Matthew Claridge, in the face while drinking with a group of friends at Docksiders last December 5. The incident was caught on CCTV.He pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm at a January court appearance.He later confessed to the crime. The court heard he told police that he had lost control after a “disparaging remark about his wife”.Mr Claridge lost two teeth as a result of the punch and required stitches inside his mouth.He also sustained a gash to the head.Brown paid Mr Claridge $17,000 toward his medical costs and also gave him $10,000 as a “gesture of goodwill”.He was handed a six-month conditional discharge for the offence last month by Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo.As part of that sentence he was required to seek permission from the courts before leaving the Island.Mr Tokunbo said when he sentenced Brown that he was prepared to accept the punch as “a one-off occurrence”.However the sentence incited some public controversy.Shadow National Security Minister Michael Dunkley called it a case of “a white guy who paid out a lot of money and got off”.He said it sent “the wrong message” to the public, and questioned whether “a 23-year-old black guy” would have received the same sentence.Yesterday Mr Tokunbo approved Brown’s application to return home. He warned Brown that he must inform court services if he returns to the Island.