A thug faces jail after attacking a man with a glass bottle and spitting in an officer’s face.
Robert Stowar, of Church Way, North Shields, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday where he was convicted of assaulting a man on Heaton Hall Road, Byker last August.
As part of the case against Stowar, the court saw shocking footage of him chasing his victim and assaulting him at the junction with Shields Road, in front of the window of a busy pub.
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Punters watched on as Stowar chased his victim and smashed a glass bottle over his head before using the shards to stab him in the back of the head.
A flurry of 999 calls were made and officers were on the scene within minutes. The victim was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries and Stowar was swiftly arrested.
However, his unruly behaviour continued when he was taken into custody and he shouted abuse at staff, used wet toilet paper to block the CCTV in his cell, and later spat in one officer’s face.
An investigation was launched and police pursued a victimless prosecution due to the severity of the attack outside the pub, with the case comprising of CCTV and various witness accounts.
On February 9, Stowar admitted unlawful wounding and assault by beating of an emergency worker but denied the more severe offence of unlawful wounding with intent.
A two-day trial was held at Newcastle Crown Court where a jury found him not guilty of the more serious offence and a guilty plea was accepted.
Stowar has been remanded until sentencing on April 8.
Speaking after the trial PC Andrew Devlin, the officer in charge of the case, said: “This was a nasty assault in broad daylight and I am pleased Stowar has been convicted.
“Anyone who is prepared to resort to levels of violence like this has no place on our streets. We know that following an altercation, Stowar chased his victim down the street and then used a bottle as a weapon to inflict harm, even when his victim was physically injured and cowering away from him.
“Stowar didn’t care who saw his violent outburst and the influx of 999 calls we received as a result of his behaviour show just how shocking his actions were.
“As a Force our stance on serious violence and knife crime is clear – it is completely unacceptable and anyone found to be involved will be found, brought before the courts and prosecuted.”
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