A punter was left unrecognisable after he was kicked "as if he was a football" outside a pub. The man had been drinking in Eastwood pubs before he was attacked outside The Lady Chatterley pub, in Nottingham Road.
Drinker Craig Pollard, 31, punched the man, who had been to various bars in Eastwood, after swearing at him on December 18, 2021, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Friday (January 27). This blow sent the victim to the ground where there was a scuffle, and it seemed Pollard had him in a headlock, had straddled him, and repeatedly punched him whilst on top of him.
Pollard's partner intervened and tried to pull him off the man. But he was left on the ground in a "prone position", explained Raglan Ashton, prosecuting. "Sitting on the ground, his legs straight out in front of him, on his own".
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At that stage Pollard, of Lynncroft, Eastwood, rushed back towards the man and kicked him in the head, "as if kicking a football," said Mr Ashton. The kick caused him to fall backwards, his head hitting the road as he toppled backwards.
His face was covered in blood and he appeared to be unconscious, but Pollard did not help him, he was pulled away and left the scene. Mr Ashton referred to photos of the victim and how he was "unrecognisable from an original image of him.
"Clearly significant injury was caused," he told Judge Stuart Rafferty, King's Counsel. One witness could not sleep for two days "on account he was reliving the scene," added Mr Ashton.
Another witness had seen many pub fights, and he said it was "remarkable for its brutality in terms of the assault". The victim went to hospital with swelling and bruising around both eyes.
Cuts needed stitches, and a CT scan revealed fractures to his upper jaw, cheekbones and lateral walls, and fractures of both eye sockets. Mr Ashton said the degree of injuries required surgery under general anaesthetic, involving inserting five metal plates to his jaw fracture, cheekbone and eye sockets. He was released from hospital on December 30.
"Arch bars" - small strips of metal which are secured to teeth in order to encourage your jaws to heal in the correct alignment - were temporarily inserted and removed on April 4. The man runs two cafes and the refrigerated environment would aggravate pain in his face.
"He said he did not want to go outside following the offence and would not go anywhere alone and would not answer the door unless he knew who it was," said Mr Ashton. "He could not eat properly. He lost weight. It plays on his mind. He did not know the person who did this to him.
"He was medicated for stress and this was exacerbated because of this offence". After Pollard's arrest, he was shown footage of the incident and claimed he was acting in self-defence.
But he went on to plead guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was sentenced to three years and nine months, of which he will serve half.
Anna Soubry, mitigating, told the judge: "The pre-sentence report describes him as 'disgusted and devastated" for what he did to the man. Through me he says how 'sorry' he is for the injuries caused". Pollard had never been involved in a fight in his life - apart from a scrap with his sister, the court heard.
This offence was wholly and totally out of character, it was said in court. That night he went out with his girlfriend, before Christmas, into Eastwood and visited various pubs. They went to the Lady Chatterley where they smoked in the courtyard.
Miss Soubry said the victim, who observers said had been drinking, had got into a verbal altercation with a security officer in Oliver's pub in Eastwood earlier, and he was know to Pubwatch.
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