A boxer left a young man needing surgery after 'using him as a punchbag' for 'no apparent reason' during a brutal street attack.
Kian Winstanley punched the 22-year-old several times to the face, after the attacker and his friends had been asked to leave a pub in Bury.
The victim had been out with family celebrating a birthday when they came across 'angry' Winstanley and his group. Winstanley, 19, had been in the pub all afternoon and had taken cocaine, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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His group began hurling abuse towards the victim and his friends in the street in Tottington. After Winstanley, his friend Aaron Rigby, also 19, and others left the Waggonmakers Arms pub at about 11pm on a Saturday, they began following the victim and two of his friends.
One of their group started hurling abuse towards the victim. "That abuse was for no apparent reason," said the judge, Recorder Peter Wright KC.
"I am quite satisfied, Kian Winstanley, for reasons known best only to yourself, you were both angry and looking for some form of confrontation." They told the group they didn't want any trouble and ignored them.
But Winstanley pursued them and he began punching the victim, hitting him forcefully to the head three times. Even while being attacked he noticed that Winstanley appeared to be a 'trained fighter' due to the method of his punches, prosecutor Kate Gaskell said.
The judge said Winstanley was 'spoiling for a fight'. "I am quite satisfied you were using him as a punchbag," Recorder Wright said.
"You were well equipped to engage in a fight because boxing is part of your DNA. Rather than confining your activities to the ring and to the laudable discipline of boxing within the context of both club and contest, you decided to engage in what can only be described as bullying, outright bullying to others on the street."
After being attacked he alerted his father, who came round to help his son. He also ended up being punched and kicked by others in the attacking group, who have not been identified, and a family friend who also came to help was left scratched and bruised.
The victims sought refuge in a nearby Tesco, where staff lowered the shutters to protect them. While the fracas unfolded, Rigby threw a bottle of beer towards them but missed.
The 22-year-old was seriously hurt following the attack on July 10 last year. He suffered a fractured eye socket and required stitches to his nose.
He had surgery under general anaesthetic and needed a plate to reconstruct his eye socket. Doctors only discharged him from outpatient care seven months after the attack, and he has been left with a permanent scar as a 'daily reminder' of his ordeal.
His father said as a parent his 'worst fears were realised' when he was told of his son being attacked. Now Winstanley has narrowly avoided jail for the brutal attack.
Winstanley, of Tottington Road, Bury, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, while Rigby, of Fernview Drive, Tottington, admitted a public order offence. "You each behaved in a despicable way," the judge told the pair.
Defending, Mohammed Omar said Winstanley apologised to the victim at the scene and is genuinely remorseful. He said Winstanley comes from a 'well respected and caring family' and has not been in trouble with the law before or since.
He has found work as a scaffolder and has stopped drinking since the incident, Mr Omar said, appealing for the judge to avoid sending him to prison. Winstanley received an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He was ordered to carry out 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 150 hours of unpaid work and must pay his victim £1,750 in compensation. Rigby was sentenced to a 12 month community order, including 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.
Defending Rigby, Hugh Barton said the defendant's best friend was murdered, and he has now matured and has made a 'significant change' to his behaviour.
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