Dad knocked out at child's christening party as youth footballers rush to help
A dad was punched unconscious and left with a broken jaw after a man "looking for confrontation" kicked off at a children's christening party, a court has heard.
Carl Gray, 33, was seen sitting over his motionless victim outside the Caerleon RFC clubhouse in Wales on August 7. Partygoers were left horrified after he repeatedly punched him in the face at the rugby club. Youngsters playing football nearby were forced to step in to stop the attack. The victim was left so badly injured that he couldn't eat solid foods for three months after the incident.
It was reported that the victim and Gray were both "heavily intoxicated" at the time of the fight. The court heard how punches were exchanged before the victim was knocked to the floor. The prosecutor explained that the victim managed to stand up, but Gray "lunged" at him and knocked him down again. The defendant then climbed on top of his victim and hit the man's head multiple times while he was conscious on the ground. A student nurse who witnessed the incident estimated that Gray punched the man about 10 times.
The court heard that the victim suffered a broken jaw, a broken nose, and severe facial swelling from the attack, reports Wales Online. In a statement read in court, he spoke about his difficulty with food because of his broken jaw and said his nose was deformed and would need to be re-broken to fix it. He also mentioned that he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had become almost a hermit in his own home while his "arrogant" attacker freely roamed the village. He added that he didn't think Gray was the type to apologise for his actions.
Gray, from Caesar Crescent, Caerleon, had previously admitted to causing serious bodily harm when he appeared in court for sentencing. He has no past convictions. Darren Bishop, representing Gray, described him as a father-of-two and a delivery driver who was hoping to get his HGV class one driving licence. He said Gray had not been the instigator of the violence at the rugby club but had nevertheless entered his plea in regard to second part of the incident.
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Judge Simon Mills told Gray that he had "disgraced himself" at a children's party with his "appalling behaviour". The judge noted that the pre-sentence report mentioned Gray's binge drinking and his lack of awareness of the problem and its consequences. Judge Mills said he believed there was some remorse from Gray, but suspected most of it was due to his current situation rather than any genuine regret for his actions. After reading the pre-sentence report on Gray, Judge Mills decided to suspend the prison sentence that was due for 18-months. With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea, Gray was given a 22-month suspended sentence.
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