A man has been given a suspended prison sentence after he punched another outside a Huddersfield pub breaking his jaw.
Leeds Crown Court heard the incident happened outside the Chartist public house in Skelmanthorpe after the complainant Liam Dyson spoke to a couple who were having a “heated” argument.
He had been drinking inside the pub with friends on the evening of August 31 last year and left around 12.30am which was when he saw the man and the woman rowing.
Bashir Ahmed prosecuting said Mr Dyson asked the woman is she was all right. Outside at the same time was Michael John Guest who knew the couple, the man being his cousin and the woman that man’s girlfriend.
Guest approached Mr Dyson, whom he knew from school days, and said in an aggressive manner: “What are you picking on a girl for?”
Mr Dyson told him he was not picking on the girl and asked her again if she was okay.
“At that point without further warning or discussion the defendant from a side stance punched him in the face once and then walked away,” said Mr Ahmed.
Mr Dyson was dazed but went home. However, the next day he was in considerable pain and went to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where his jaw was found to be fractured in two places. He had to have surgery so it could be pinned together.
His attacker was arrested a few days later and said he had a verbal argument about football with Mr Dyson but denied seeing him outside.
Phillip Tsalikis representing Guest told the court he now accepted responsibility. “He made an honest mistake believing he was coming to someone else’s help.”
Guest, 26 of Manor Rise, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and was given six months in prison suspended for 12 months with 120 hours unpaid work.
Recorder Tony Kelbrick told him: “You are now well aware that drink can cause a man to make poor judgments, mistakes, misreading situations and it can make him overreact badly to whatever situation he perceives. I am satisfied that night that is what you did.”
“An attack on someone in the street, at night, in drink crosses the custody threshold but this attracts a comparatively short sentence that can be suspended.
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