Two thugs launched a vicious attack on a recovering opioid addict in a Seaham street and left him with a fractured skull.
Peter Goggins, 37, and Thomas Ruane, 37, were both travelling in a car when they spotted the lone man - who was known to the pair - on July 1 2021. Wielding a crutch, Goggins then got out of the car and began to beat the man with such ferocity the crutch broke.
As the terrified victim cowered behind a wall, Ruane reversed the car into the brickwork, before getting out and joining in the attack whilst armed with a "hard object". The pair's attack left the man with a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.
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On Friday, Goggins, of Saturn Street, Seaham, and Ruane, of no fixed address, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be jointly sentenced for causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Ruane was also sentenced for dangerous driving.
Goggins, who requires the use of a wheelchair, appeared for sentence via link from Teesside Magistrates' Court, with Ruane appearing via link from HMP Durham. Both men had been found guilty of the charges following a trial.
The court heard that the victim of the attack was a "recovering opioid addict" who was known to Goggins and Ruane and that there were "difficulties" between them, the reasons for the animosity between them remains "opaque". Goggins and Ruane were in a car on Westlea Road in Seaham when they saw the man.
Judge James Adkin said: "Ruane was driving and slammed to a halt, Goggins emerged (from the car) very angrily and chased him and attacked him with a crutch with such ferocity it broke. Ruane reversed the car, hitting a wall where the victim was cowering behind. Ruane then got out of the car and carried out an attack with what was described as a handheld, hard object."
Prosecutor Matthew Bean said the victim sustained a cut to the back of his head and a fractured skull. The man also had a bleed on his brain.
The court heard Goggins, a father-of-six, had 29 previous convictions for 61 offences, including for matters of violence. Ruane had 29 previous convictions for 62 offences, including robbery in 2010 and three previous driving convictions.
Tabitha Buck, defending Ruane, said the offence was an "isolated incident" and that he "accepts the decision of the jury and understands the need to be sentenced". She added that Ruane suffered "childhood trauma" and mental health issues.
Martin Scarborough, defending Goggins, told the court he accepts the incident was joint enterprise, saying: "The defendant lives with his partner and has six children, there will be an impact on his family with his inevitable custodial sentence."
Mr Scarborough added that Goggins regularly uses the aid of a wheelchair after sustaining a serious injury in 2008 and that it will cause him difficulties in prison.
Sentencing the pair, Judge Adkin said they both had a "plethora" of previous convictions and jailed them both for five years and eight months. A 10 year restraining order was also imposed, banning contact with the victim.
Ruane was also banned from driving for 46 months and must take an extended re-test if he wants his licence back.
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