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Hearing loss of Leeds city centre nightclub attack victim
A lifeguard was left deaf in one ear after being punched to the ground in a drunken attack outside a Leeds city centre nightclub.
David Derbyshire, 23, suffered permanent hearing loss after fracturing his skull after being felled by Michael Doyle, 22, outside Tiger Tiger.
Doyle, of Fawcett Way, Wortley, Leeds, had drunk 15 glasses of vodka before the incident on August 17 last year.
He was jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.
Leeds Crown Court heard Mr Derbyshire was struck after a dispute between two separate parties. Doyle was later arrested after being recognised by some of Mr Derbyshire’s friends.
He told officers in interview that he feared he was going to be assaulted and struck out at his victim. Doyle admitted that he had been drunk.
He said he struck Mr Derbyshire just once and tried to revive when he realised he was unconscious before leaving the scene.
The court heard doyle has two previous convictions for assault, one of which took place a month before his latest attack.
Ian Cook, mitigating, described Doyle as a hard worker but said he had been drinking excessively around the time of the offence.
He has now taken steps to curb his alcohol intake. Mr Cook said Doyle was distressed to learn that Mr Derbyshire had suffered long-term injury.
Jailing Doyle, judge Geoffrey Marson said: “It is an incident which is all too typical in Leeds and in other city centres.
He added: “This was an offence of which occurred in a public place, causing distress to those who had to witness it and having considerable and long term consequences for David Derbyshire, a life guard going about his own business and behaving himself.
“It is aggravated by the fact that you were in drink and by the fact it was in a public place.
“Alcohol has blighted your life and that of David Derbyshire.”
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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