A service engineer who punched a DJ at a Huddersfield town centre bar causing a serious eye injury has been given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay him £2,000 compensation.
Leeds Crown Court heard the victim Mario Mota Venga was working in Maverick’s Bar in King Street in the early hours of January 16.
Around 3.30am he went from his area to help a female who had collapsed and when he returned found Jordan Naylor in his spot and ushered him away, said Bashir Ahmed prosecuting.
He returned to carry on his job but was then punched by Naylor. The blow caused a serious injury to his left eye, detaching the cornea from the eyeball and fracturing the base of the eye socket.
He was advised the best way to repair the damage was an operation but after being warned the side effects of that could also be serious he declined the procedure.
Mr Ahmed said while there might be some further recovery without that he is still suffering some double vision and will always have to use eye drops.
Naylor was apprehended by staff and others and when he was interviewed claimed he had reacted after being assaulted. He agreed he was in drink at the time.
The court heard Naylor told a probation officer he did not believe he would have acted in such a way if he had been sober and expressed remorse for his behaviour which had shocked him.
Daniel Smith, representing him, said he was genuinely sorry for the injury he had caused.
“It seems a woman had collapsed nothing to do with him,” said Mr Smith. “People were tending to her and he went into the DJ box apparently to turn the music off.
“That led to a confrontation between him and the complainant who had no idea why he was there. He was ushered out of the box and a blow was struck.”
He said normally Naylor was a hard working service engineer and references indicated a “moment of intoxicated madness cannot define his character.”
Naylor, 25 of Aspen Close, Cleckheaton , admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was given 14 months in prison suspended for two years, ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work and to pay compensation. He was also excluded from Maverick’s Bar for two years.
Judge Neil Clark said he was obviously very drunk by the time of the incident.
He said when the DJ ushered him out not realising why he was there “caused you to lose your temper.”
He only punched once but it caused a significant injury with a risk of blindness had he undergone the operation.
The judge told Naylor: “You didn’t intend to cause that degree of harm nevertheless the risk of it is there in striking him.”
But he accepted he was normally a hard worker with impressive references and had indicated a willingness to pay compensation.
