Gary Rushworth jailed after Milnsbridge pub attack left man with jaw broken in two places

A man to have surgery to insert plates in his jaw after it was broken in two places during an assault outside a Milnsbridge public house.

Leeds Crown Court heard Anthony Lee was drinking in the Royal public house on November 15 last year.

Among those present were Ben France, Richard Bostock and Gary Lee Rushworth who played pool together and who appeared to staff to be getting on all right with Mr Lee.

Simon Haring prosecuting said there had been an incident some years earlier between France and Mr Lee about something he had said, but Mr Lee thought all that was in the past.

After midnight Mr Lee went outside for a cigarette and was talking to France when there was reference to the previous disagreement and initially France, walked off with the other two but then called Mr Lee over to them.

That was the last thing he remembered of the incident but was then seen by the landlady with his face swollen and his eyes shut having been assaulted. When she examined the CCTV footage she saw he had gone to the ground with the three men around him.

She said Bostock appeared to be filming the others on his phone, she also saw him kick Mr Lee and later found a pool of blood at the same location.

When the police arrived they found Mr Lee confused. He was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and later transferred to Bradford Royal Infirmary where he had two plates and two pins inserted in his upper and lower jaw.

France and Bostock were sentenced earlier this year after admitting causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Lee. France, then 25 of Spindle Lane, Longwood was jailed for 27 months while Bostock, then 31 formerly of Moor End Road, Lockwood was ordered to be detained under the Mental Health Act having been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Mr Haring said at that time Rushworth was unfit to attend the hearing. He was on licence last November from a previous jail sentence.

Chloe Hudson representing Rushworth told the court he had suffered a long period of psychiatric ill health but now was fit again and determined to change his lifestyle in the future.

“He bitterly regrets mixing with his previous associates and involving himself in someone else’s argument.”

Rushworth, 27 of Longwood Road, Huddersfield admitted causing Mr Lee grievous bodily harm and was jailed for two years.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told him the victim had suffered a “nasty injury” during a sustained attack when they had used “feet for weapons, kicking a helpless man while he was on the ground.”