Man had jaw broken after wrongly being accused of being a paedophile by drunken thug in unprovoked Garforth street attack

Tyler Ellis accused the victim of being a paedophile before assaulting him on Fidler Lane, Garforth, on December 24, 2018.

Leeds Crown Court heard the victim was walking home from a Co-op store at 8pm when Ellis approach him and asked: "Where's the party?"

Louise Pryke, prosecuting, said Ellis appeared drunk as he was swaying and his speech was slurred.

The 27-year-old defendant followed the man and became aggressive, calling him a 'paedo'.

Ellis then began punching him in the face without warning.

Miss Pryke said: "The defendant tried to get members of the public to join in."

Two men saw the attack and managed to pull Ellis away.

They noticed that he smelled strongly of alcohol and cannabis.

The victim picked up his shopping and walked home but an ambulance had to be called for Ellis as he had a seizure in the street.

An ambulance was called and the two members of the public looked after him in the street, helping to protect his head from hitting the ground.

Ellis refused medical help when paramedics arrived.

He ran off and climbed over a fence to get away.

Miss Pryke said the victim did not seek medical help until January 2 when the pain in his jaw worsened.

He had to have an operation for screws and a metal plate to be fitted to his jaw.

The man described in a victim statement how he was unable to chew food for weeks after the attack.

He has felt on edge leaving his home since the attack.

Ellis, of Town Street, Middleton, Leeds, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

He has 13 previous convictions for 22 offences including burglary, assault and racially aggravated criminal damage.

Michael Walsh, mitigating, said Ellis had been suffering from mental health problems which led to him carrying out the assault.

He said his client had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder since the incident.

A probation service report stated that Ellis had made significant changes to his life since the incident and would benefit from support to continue to address his mental health problems.

Ellis was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to take part in a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Judge Simon Batiste said: "This was clearly a drunken attack on a stranger which caused a broken jaw with consequences that have been long lasting.

"Under normal circumstances for cases of violence such as this the court would normally impose an immediate custodial sentence on you.

"But there are factors I have read that have caused me to alter that position.

"You must understand that if there is any repetition of this type of behaviour there will be a prison sentence hanging over you."