Sickening thug repeatedly stamped on man's head on Wakefield street over 'dog-theft claim'
A thug who repeatedly kicked and stamped on a man’s head as he lay stricken in the street has been jailed for more than seven years.
Gareth Richards was told he had shown little remorse for the sickening assault, and his history of violence led the judge at Leeds Crown Court to deem him a dangerous offender.
The 45-year-old claimed he attacked the man after he tried to steal his dog, a claim that was rubbished in court.
Richards was due to stand trial but eventually admitted a charge of Section 18 GBH with intent.
The attack happened on the evening of December 15, 2022, on Doncaster Road, Knottingley.
Richards had gone to the man’s flat and was hurling abuse outside, beckoning the man to come out.
The man came out and witnesses said they saw him spray Richards in the face with a bottle, which later turned out to be ammonia.
Richards then began swinging punches at the man and they began brawling in the street.
The victim then fell over, and Richards began kicking and stamping on his head. One witness even filmed the brutal assault, which showed Richards clinging onto the wall and using it as leverage to deliver harder stamps and kicks.
Richards walked away and even boasted about his exploits to a worker in a nearby convenience store a short time later.
The victim was found by paramedics and was taken to hospital. He suffered a fractured eye socket and was released the next day.
The court heard that Richards was known to police with 64 call-outs being made down the years. He was jailed only last year for robbing a taxi driver, and in 2023 for harassing his neighbour.
Mitigating for the GBH offence, Richard Davies said: “There’s a recognition that what he did was completely unacceptable. The recognition for the need to change.”
In a short letter written by Richards, he addressed the judge over the video link from HMP Leeds and told him: “I’m sorry for what happened that day - it’s not me at all. I just want to turn my life around.”
But Judge Ray Singh disagreed telling him: “Your offending will simply not stop. It’s unabated.”
He accepted that Richards was sprayed in the face but said his reaction provided “very, very limited” self-defence mitigation, reminding him he was the one who went looking for trouble.
He added: “It was gratuitous violence. The only remorse I see is your late guilty plea.”
He gave him an 88-month jail sentence, made up of 52 months’ jail, and 36 months’ on extended licence period.
The victim was given a suspended six-month jail sentence last year for spraying the bottle of ammonia at Richards.