A former soldier has been jailed for breaking a man's jaw in a brutal bar assault. Ashley Watson lost his temper in a Port Talbot pub, punching a stranger in the face and causing a double fracture which required the victim to have metal plates and 12 screws fitted in his jaw. The 24-year-old defendant has a previous conviction for violence following an assault on a fellow soldier - which earned him a period of military detention.
Swansea Crown Court heard the pub attack happened in the Burgess Green in Aberavon on January 22 this year when Watson punched a man in the face following an exchange of words. The men were strangers to each other. The victim suffered fractures to both sides of the jaw which subsequently required surgery.
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Watson claimed he had been acting in self-defence but was convicted at trial of inflicting grievous bodily harm. In an impact statement, which was read to the court, the victim said that he was living in constant pain as a result of the injury, and faced further surgery to remove teeth to allow his jaw to be properly realigned. He said he had been unable to eat solid food for three months after the assault and had suffered nerve damage to his mouth and lips which continued to make eating and drinking difficult. The victim said he no longer wanted to go out socialising with friends and was suffering with depression, adding: "I don't know when I will feel right again, physically or mentally."
Ashley Watson, of Pen-y-Cae Road, Port Talbot, had previously been convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has a previous conviction for battery on his record – an offence committed in 2019 while a serving solider and which saw him punching a lance corporal in the face. He was given 35 days' detention by a court martial for that matter.
Huw Davies, for Watson, said his client had not been the instigator of the "quarrel" which led to the assault in the pub. He said in his submission the parties had disengaged before the defendant re-engaged and then "went beyond reasonable self-defence" in his actions. The barrister said Watson served seven years in the Army and now worked as an emergency response environmental officer – employment he would lose if a term of immediate custody were imposed. He said his client bitterly regretted the injuries he caused and wished to apologise to the victim.
Recorder Ifan Wyn Lloyd Jones told the defendant it was clear he was a man who has a temper which he is unable to control. He said the court had been told the defendant was remorseful but he said the best indication of remorse would have been for Watson to accept what he had done and plead guilty rather than contesting matters at a trial.
The recorder told Watson he was not the victim and the jury had rejected his version of events, adding: "I accept you are sorry. I have more than a feeling that the person you feel sorry for is yourself." The defendant was sentenced to two years in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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