A man was punched to the ground and kicked to the face in a horrific attack on his first night out in two years.
The man - who has autism and epilepsy- was attacked by Joshua Standing and Toran Grant on May 29, 2021, after he intervened in a fight. Leeds Crown Court heard on Tuesday the man had gone out for drinks with his rugby team in Farsley and had been talking to a woman who was ejected from the pub. He followed her, and was followed by a team mate before the fight broke out.
Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told the court: "An argument happened between her and another woman and a fight broke out."
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Two of the women involved were the girlfriends of Joshua Standing, 19 and his co-defendant Toran Grant, 25. Ms Kaye said the victim pushed one of the women away to get to the first woman.
She said: "He pulled her away from the fight and walked up the road and was followed by his friends. The two women stood in the group of five people when these two defendants joined and were discussing what happened. They followed the man up the road followed by the women involved...A woman attacked the first woman and the complainant tried to stop her...this was Grant's girlfriend."
It was said Standing, of Rossefield Approach in Leeds, then punched the man to the side of his head and he fell to the ground. Grant then kicked him in the face.
Ms Kaye said: "His team-mate shouted that he had issues with his head and to leave him alone. He got up and had blood pouring from his face."
The defendants ran away and the man was taken to the hospital by his mum who had already planned to pick him up. She said in her statement read to the court that he was suffering seizures and drifting in and out of consciousness on the way to the hospital. The man suffered lacerations to his nose and eyes and had bruising around his head and face.
Ms Kaye said: "The incident was caught on CCTV and it was used to identify the two defendants and both ended up handing themselves in on 4th June."
Standing told police in his interview he was approached by a woman who said the man had hit her and he confronted him - he said the man pushed him so he hit him. Ms Kaye said: "He said he knew of the complainant as he was from the same area but hadn't met him before. He said he was drunk and acted in self defence."
Grant said he had been out with his girlfriend and saw a confrontation, but answered "no comment."
Both went on to plead guilty to section 20, assault. It was said the man had been seizure free for eight months, but has since had four, which a neurologist put down to the attack. Ms Kaye said: "He said he was suffering from sleepless nights and didn't want to close his eyes. He has still not walked past where the incident happened...He doesn't like being on his own. He worked at the rugby club but couldn't afterwards for a few weeks and was worried about bumping into the defendants."
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The man's mum also prepared a statement, in which she described the incident as a "mother's worst nightmare to get a call to say your son has been beaten up." She told the court: "One wrong hit could have killed him."
The court heard Standing is also to be sentenced for two counts of possession with intent to supply after being the victim of a scooter crash in Pudsey in October last year. A search of his jacket while in hospital led to the discovery of 30 bags of cocaine with a street value of £3,440 and £180 in cash.
On November 8 last year officers saw a speeding Scirocco car, which Standing was the passenger of, at Stanningley bypass. The car then crashed, allowing the officers to arrest Standing who refused to give them his name. The court heard he was taken to hospital where he was abusive to medical staff and members of the public. 44 bags of cocaine was found on him with a street value of £4,980 and £84.65 in cash. His home was searched and a "tick list" showing drug debts and a machete was found.
Anastasis Tasou, mitigating for Grant, said this was not a "group activity" and he, unlike Standing, did not know of the victim. He said: "He saw the victim intervene by physically removing his partner, and unfortunately for him acted in a way which was very much out of character. He saw red and responded with violence."
He said Grant had expressed "genuine remorse" for his actions.
Mitigating for Standing, Tom Jackson said he got involved in the incident due to his "alcohol consumption" that night and it was "completely out of character" for him. Mr Jackson said: "He got involved in some sort of fracas with pushing and shoving. He is full of remorse and regret for his actions that day and he has seen his life spiral out of control since then. He says that the section 20 matter was hanging over him for a couple of years, even a charging decision, before he knew what his future would be like having done what he did that night."
Standing was jailed for 57 months. Grant will be sentenced on Tuesday, May 30.
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