A man out on a stag do fractured a stranger's eye-socket in an "random" attack, a court has heard.
Scott Carter, 32, of Gartcraig Street, Coatbridge, Scotland, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday for one count of causing grievous bodily harm. Joanne Cronshaw, prosecuting, detailed that on August 28, Aaron Suleman was out celebrating his birthday in Liverpool city centre with some friends.
Similarly, Carter was visiting Liverpool from Scotland with a stag party of around 24 men, and had been drinking and under the influence of cocaine since 11am. At around 2am the following morning, Mr Suleman was in the Black Rabbit near Concert Square when he encountered Carter.
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Ms Cronshaw said: “The defendant was standing next to a metal pole on the dancefloor, when Mr Suleman put his hands on Carter to squeeze past him. Carter took offence to this and punched Mr Suleman in the face, causing his head to smash backwards into the metal pole leaving him unconscious on the floor.”
Mr Suleman suffered a 2 centimetre gash to the back of his head, bruising and swelling to the face, a fractured eye socket with a deviation of the eye, damage to his teeth and nerve damage in his mouth. He required surgery to his mouth area and dental work.
A victim personal statement written by Mr Suleman was read to the court by the prosecution, and detailed the anxiety and distress he felt following the incident. It read: “I feel this incident has ruined my life.
“I had a difficult experience with treatment because my face was too swollen and I could not speak.” Mr Suleman also detailed that he struggles to lift heavy objects during the course of his job as this causes him to have a black eye, and at the time of the statement, he could not feel his back teeth.
He said the dental work cost him around £1,700, and he had to take a month off work following the incident. Carter was interviewed and claimed Mr Suleman had squared up to him, causing him to feel scared and react by punching him in the face.
CCTV footage of the incident was shown in court, and Carter could be seen clearly stepping backwards as Mr Suleman tried to get past, before turning around and hitting him. Carter has 11 previous convictions for 26 offences, the majority of which are of a similar nature and occurred in public houses while he was under the influence of alcohol.
Dominic Thomas, defending, told the court that his client has various dependents and a son with specific needs whom he cares for three days a week. He detailed that despite his history of violent offences, Carter holds down a full time job and is a valuable contributing member of society, who has not been before the courts since 2017.
Mr Thomas said Carter’s family would be the ones who suffered if he were to go to prison, as they are financially and emotionally dependent on him. His Honour Judge David Swinnerton described the “sheer randomness” of the attack.
In sentencing, he said: “This has been a decision I have found hard to come to because in many ways you totally deserve to go to prison. Were it not for the other people that rely on you and your support, I would have sent you to prison right away.
“You need to think before you go out and not drink so heavily.” Judge Swinnerton assured Carter this was his last chance, and said he would most likely go to prison if he committed further offences.
Carter was handed a 14 month prison sentence suspended for two years, and told to complete 30 rehabilitation days plus 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £4,500 in compensation to Mr Suleman plus £500 in costs.
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