A DRUNK who headbutted a newspaper delivery man in an unprovoked early morning attack in Huddersfield has escaped jail.
Sean Folan has had an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
After he handed himself in to the police Folan, 34, admitted he had been drinking vodka and Stella Artois all night and bizarrely claimed he thought Artur Kozielski was going to steal his dog because he was a foreigner. In fact, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday, the 40-year-old Polish national was simply carrying out his job of delivering papers to a convenience store in Folan’s street when the attack happened last June.
Prosecutor Ken Green said Mr Kozielski was putting the newspapers in a box when Folan headbutted him in the face without warning. “The complainant, in fear, ran to his van and endeavoured to drive away but was then pulled from the van by the other male,” said Mr Green. “The complainant’s van however, now driverless, rolled into a wall and was damaged. The defendant and the other man then ran off.’” The court heard Mr Kozielski did not need any medical treatment and Folan was identified from CCTV footage. But two days later he handed himself into the police and told them he had been drinking.
Folan, of Fartown Green Road, Fartown, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Judge Peter Benson was told that Folan had previous convictions for offences of affray, damaging property and threatening behaviour, but barrister Alasdair Campbell said his client was disgusted with himself for the attack on Mr Kozielski.
The court heard that Folan had been getting help with his drink problem and was no longer the binge drinker he once was.
Judge Benson said he recognised the efforts Folan had made and decided the proposal in a pre-sentence report was the best way to protect the public from his drunken violence in the long term.
As part of the suspended sentence order Folan will have to take part in a Stop Binge Drinking Programme and be supervised for the next 12 months.
