Wrexham,North Wales - Man's cowardly punch could have had fatal consequences

Published date: 10 November 2016 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
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A man who delivered a “cowardly blow without warning” causing his victim to suffer a bleed on the brain and a fractured skull has been told that he could have killed him.

Kieron Paul Davies, 28, from Wrexham, told police in his interview that he was aware of his own strength, claiming he had knocked people out in the past.

Jailing him for 18 months, Judge Rhys Rowlands told Davies he appeared to be confident in his ability to look after himself.

But his victim, Terry Pugh, received a very serious injury from the “cowardly, drunken attack” when he had done “absolutely nothing” to Davies, of Bryn Rhedyn, Southsea.

Mr Pugh had been the victim of a powerful boxing-like blow which left him unconscious in the road, Mold Crown Court was told yesterday.

Davies previously admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Pugh in the early morning incident at Town Hill, Wrexham, on Friday, August 26.

The court heard the victim hit his head on the ground and was left unconscious. His next memory was waking up in the ambulance on the way to the major trauma unit at Stoke hospital where he was found to have suffered a fractured skull and a bleed to the brain, which had been life-changing.

The injury left him in pain and feeling vulnerable.

Davies was captured on CCTV walking along the street with the victim and another man.

Emmalyne Downing, prosecuting, said Davies suddenly delivered a single blow which knocked the victim to the ground.

It was a powerful punch and Mr Pugh lay unconscious in the road for some minutes before help arrived.

Davies did not stay to help but left in a car which was stopped by police after they had been directed by CCTV operators.

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In a victim impact statement Mr Pugh said his life had been greatly affected. He suffered pain in his head which would not ease and he felt vulnerable and unable to cope.

He would sometimes sleep for two hours only, had lost weight and had become fragile.

Judge Rowlands said sadly like many others who came before the courts Davies had too much to drink and became aggressive.

He chose to involve himself in an earlier disagreement and delivered a very hard blow, “on any view a boxer-type punch.”

It was delivered without warning and sent Mr Pugh to the ground where he was seen on the CCTV footage to be completely unconscious for a period of time.

“You did not wait to assist him, despite the enormity of what you had done,” the judge told Davies.

“This was a cowardly drunken attack which could have had the most dreadful consequences for him and for you.”

Davies had two previous convictions for assault.

Mark Connor, defending, said his client had not touched a drop of alcohol since that night and was ashamed of what he had done.

“This has been a huge wake-up call for him,” he said.

His remorse was genuine and heart-felt.

Davies, said Mr Connor, was a family man with a good work ethic. He was a well paid as a specialist concrete floor layer and if he received a suspended sentence he would be able to support his family and pay significant compensation to the victim.

But Judge Rowlands said he could not suspend the sentence. “This was a serious incident. It could have had potentially fatal consequences for the victim,” he said.

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/168940/wrexham-man-s-cowardly-punch-could-have-had-fatal-consequences.aspx