General Chat

Man beat up innocent passer-by

ROB GARRATT
12 December 2009 13:00



A man who beat up a passer-by in the city centre and repeatedly kicked him in the head while heavily drunk has been jailed.

Mathew Stone drank six litres of cider and half a bottle of vodka before going on a booze-fuelled attack which left his victim unconscious in Gentleman's Walk.

Stone, 24, said he could not remember approaching the man, on July 9, and demanding money.

But yesterday Norwich Crown Court saw CCTV footage of how he chased him, punched him to the floor and repeatedly kicked his body and head as he lay on the pavement.

The victim was left with a broken nose and needing corrective facial surgery, and is now scared to go out at night when not in a large group, the court heard.

Stone, of YMCA Norwich, in St Giles Street, admitted a charge of attempted robbery and was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail.

In mitigation the court heard that Stone had no recollection of asking for the money, or the attack that followed.

Judge Paul Downes said he would reduce the advised four year sentence to two years and nine months because of his prompt guilty plea.

The judge said: “You caused a very unpleasant and serious injury, you used your foot as a weapon - the CCTV shows just how you were behaving.

“There's no doubt it was drink related but you can't injure innocent people out at night minding their own business.

“By the time the victim was on the ground you were busy kicking him in the head, and then you just left him unattended. It's not possible to take any lenient view of what you did.”


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Can you believe it? The advised sentence for this sort of crime is 4 years jail yet the judge reduces it because the bloke pleaded guilty! Of course he did, the whole thing was on cctv but he admitted he couldn't remember doing anything!

He should do the full four years. The victim has been injured and is still traumatised, he will do time by being scared to go out for more than the time that moron is inside!

No wonder this country is in such a state!


Lizx

i think 4 years is a joke

he should do 10 years for this

I've got an even better one Liz. A few months ago our local shop assistant was attacked. The bloke went behind the counter and punched and kicked the assistant while he was on the floor.

The judge sat and watched the CCTV recording of the incident and then announced the attacker was NOT GUILTY and let him go. Should have gone to Specsavers??? He also had medical reports, photos of the injuries and witness statements. What planet was he on???

No wonder there are vigilantes. It seems more and more that it doesn't pay to go through the legal routes as it gets you nowhere these days. It looks like retribution on the streets is going to be the norm in future.

Dianne xx

Like it or not, if you plead guilty you can expect a sentence of approx 50% of that had you been tried and found guilty.That's the way the sentencing gudelines operate.

Its time the judges were made to live in the real world, not the protected stratosphere they inhabit now.

Four years is nowhere near enough in the first place, and I doubt he will serve the full two years that he was sentenced

Wendy

It's time things were sorted out to show that crime doesn't pay, and that the sentences are more fitting to the crime. If that had happened to my son heaven forbid, I would be furious with such a pathetic sentence. I bet if it happened to a judge or solicitor's child, things would be different.

Lizx

lets hope he falls down the stairs or trips up on the soap while he is inside......prison justice is sometimes more effective than the legal one!!

Bob

The judge contradicted himself as he said at the end that it was ' not possible to take any lenient view of what you did' so why did he then???

I hope he gets his comeuppance but sadly if he did, he or his family would be the sort to claim compensation!!

Lizx