Thug jailed for wild Castleford-pub attacks after England's Euros' final defeat
A thug headbutted a man in a pub then punched another outside after England’s European Championship final defeat.
Jason Blackburn was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week for the unprovoked attacks at The Station pub in Castleford.
The civil engineer had previously admitted charges of ABH and Section 20 GBH without intent.
The attacks took place after the final whistle of the match on July 14, 2024, with England losing 2-1 to Spain.
Judge Neil Clark questioned why it had taken 18 months to reach court, given that the assaults were caught on CCTV, but neither the prosecution nor the defence counsel could answer.
The court was told that after the televised match had finished, Blackburn was stood at the bar.
He bumped into one man, then without a word headbutted him to the nose.
A melee ensued in which Blackburn was herded out, but the violence spilled out onto the street, with the 39-year-old trying to attack another man.
Then when the second victim left the Welbeck Street pub and crossed Blackburn’s path, he punched the man to the head causing him to fall to the ground.
Both victims required hospital treatment.
Blackburn, of Telford Close, Hightown, Castleford, was arrested in the early hours of the next morning.
During his interview he accepted being involved but claimed it was in self defence.
He has 14 previous convictions including assaults and ABH.
Mitigating, Martin Morrow said: “He is a broken man, I can’t put it any higher than that.
“It was a significant night in the sporting calendar. He does not minimise what happened that night.
“Upon reflecting and having seen the CCTV he did come to the conclusion that it would be in his best interests to plead guilty.”
Mr Morrow said Blackburn was no longer drinking because that night “had a profound impact on him” and that he had “truly learned his lesson”.
He said the father-of-two worked for BT and claimed it was “unlikely” that Blackburn would trouble the courts again, asking the judge to spare him immediate custody.
But Judge Neil Clark pointed to Blackburn’s previous convictions for violence.
He gave him a 21-month sentence for the GBH, and seven months for the ABH, to run consecutively, making a total of 28 months.