A judge told him 'mature adult men' don't behave this way
A dad who lead a “mob”, which included his son, to beat up the boyfriend of his daughter has been told “he should have known better”.
Christopher Thomas took his son and another teenager to the Swansea flat where the man lived, and kicked and punched him in the head, leaving him needing stitches.
Swansea Crown Court heard Thomas was on a community order for a drunken assault on two other people at the time of the attack.
Catherine Richards, prosecuting, said on the night of May 9 last year Thomas’s son, Jordan, knocked on the door of the Griffith John Street flat where the victim lived.
But the prosecutor said that was just a “ruse” to gain entry - as soon as the door was openend Thomas senior, his son, and a youth who cannot be named for legal reasons, rushed in.
The court heard the intruders set about their victim, puching and kicking him and leaving him with cuts to his scalp which needed stitches.
Christopher Thomas, aged 38, of Griffith John Street, Jordan Thomas, aged 18, of Sunnybank Close, West Cross, and a teenager from Penllergaer had previously pleaded guilty to affray when they appeared for sentencing.
The court heard the background of the attack was a “domestic issue” between Christopher Thomas and his daughter’s partner.
David Singh, for Thomas senior, said his client was a hard working man who had been employed as a baker for 20 years, and who accepted “there was a degree of responsibility on him”.
Tom Scapens, for Thomas junior, said there had been “influences acting upon him” at the time of the incident, and he was sorry for what had happened.
Paul Hobson, for the youth, said his client had “lost his way” at the time of the offence - two days before the flat raid he had head-butted somebody for which he was subsequently convicted of battery - due to substance abuse, but was now free of drugs.
Judge Geraint Walters described the events of May 9 as a “hugely unpleasant incident”, adding it was fortunate that the victim did not sustain more serious injuries.
He told the defendants: “You went along mob-handed to beat up your victim - this was not a spur of the moment thing, you went there purposefully to inflict violence upon him in his own home.
“It is said you punched and kicked him - it is surprising that his injuries were not as serious as they could have been, but that is more by luck than judgement.”
Addressing Thomas senior, he said: “You are 38, and should have known better than to drag two young men into this matter - you therefore bear some considerable blame for this foolish and criminal act.”
“Mature adult men do not behave like that - they take responsibility for and provide guidance for youngsters.”
Christopher Thomas was given an eight month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete a thinking skills programme which the judge said would show him “how grow-ups behave”.
The judge added that he had narrowly avoided prison.
Jordan Thomas was given a 12 month community order with a rehabilitation activitiy requirement, and 150 hours of unpaid work.
The youth was given an intensive referral order with supervision, and was made the subject of a three month nightly curfew.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/dad-who-led-mob-attack-12771783
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