A man who tried to help the victim of an attack on a dancefloor was left with a permanent disability after a man kicked him in the face.
Grimsby Crown Court heard how local scaffolder Danny Reid, 33, knocked a man unconscious on the dance floor of a town bar in an ‘outrageous, unprovoked’ attack.
The second victim, who was kicked in the face, is still unable to eat or talk properly due to the facial fractures, the court heard.
Reid admitted grievous bodily harm and a further offence of assault causing actual bodily harm when he was in The Bank pub on Bethlehem Street, on February 15.
Prosecutor Nadim Bashir said a group of work colleagues had been staying in Grimsby overnight during a works conference.
They had attended The Bank for some social drinks when around 11.15pm one of the colleagues went on the dance floor with his girlfriend and danced nearby Reid.
Mr Bashir said Reid looked aggressively towards the man as he was dancing, when all of a sudden he launched ‘a flurry of punches towards him, wholly unprovoked’. The victim was also bitten on the arm.
When another work colleague stepped in to restrain Reid, but fell to his knees and Reid swung his foot ‘flush in the face’ of the second man.
He lost a lower tooth in the kick and his face began bleeding heavily. The two injured men attempted to leave the premises but were followed by Reid who was seen by a member of bar staff.
Humberside Police attended shortly after and when they tried to speak with the attacker, he fled, before officers chased and apprehended him.
Mr Bashir said the man with the facial injuries was taken for specialist treatment to Addenbrookes Hospital, where he underwent surgery under general anaesthetic.
His jaw had to be wired together and titanium plates had to be inserted, leaving him with a ‘permanent disability’.
Reading from the victim impact statement, Mr Bashir said the attack had an enduring impact which had led to the man having to forego his sporting activities and endure time off work causing financial loss.
He said: ‘There has been a psychological impact with less confidence and he is constantly looking over his shoulder. He is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and having to take anti-depressants. He has sleeping problems and still can’t talk or eat properly.’
Defence Michael Forrest said Reid is deeply remorseful and had described the violence himself ‘a disgraceful incident.’
He said his client had been drinking after the breakdown of a 14-year-long relationship with a woman with whom he had three children.
She gave Reid a 16 and a half month jail term for the grievous bodily harm attack and four and a half months for the assault.
Both sentences will run consecutively and were suspended for 18 months, meaning he was not immediately jailed.
Reid will also carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and will have to wear a drunk tag to monitor alcohol abstinence for a total of 120 days and pay £1,500 and £500 respectively to his victims.
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