Thug jailed and banned from Wakefield pub for attack in which witnesses thought he was going to kill victim
A drunken thug launched an unprovoked and ruthless pub attack in which witnesses later told police they feared the victim would be killed.
Daniel Porter was jailed for the serious assault in which he knocked the man unconscious. He is also banned from entering the Travellers Inn pub in South Kirkby for the next three years.
The man was punched multiple times and had his head split open as he then tried to resolve the issue.
Leeds Crown Court heard that 42-year-old Porter had been drinking most of the day in the Carr Lane pub on January 18.
He knew the victim and beckoned him over to sit near him at around 9.30pm. But Porter became agitated and launched into an attack, punching the man “six or seven times”, prosecutor Robert Galley said.
Witnesses said there was no aggression shown towards Porter. After halting the attack, Porter left the pub via the rear door, but was followed by the victim who wanted to quiz him on why he had attacked him.
Porter then turned and threw two more punches, knocking the man to the floor where he struck his head on gas canisters. The man suffered a large laceration to the back of his head that required stapling.
The court heard the victim suffered concussion and the attack continues to affect his smell and taste.
Porter, a landscaper of Carr Lane, South Kirkby, was initially charged with Section 18 GBH with intent, but later admitted a lesser charge of Section 20 GBH without intent, which was accepted by the Crown.
He has 11 previous convictions including GBH and assaults and was on an eight-week suspended sentence at the time for driving while banned, given to him in December last year.
A probation report found that Porter continues to claim that the victim, whom he has known for 20 years, was drunk and aggressive. Porter admitted he lost his temper and lashed out but “immediately regretted” his actions and was “genuinely remorseful”.
Judge Kate Rayfield raised concerns about Porter “painting a different narrative” and “trying to muddy the waters instead of admitting he was heavily in drink and acting aggressively”.
Mitigating, Christopher Morton said Porter had been clean from drug for around eight years and had stopped drinking after the attack.
He said: “He accepts full responsibility for the events that night. In that time he has abstained from alcohol altogether. He says the complainant was being rowdy but accepts he was the aggressor.”
He said Porter was not aware of the man’s injuries until the next day and went to the police station himself.
Judge Rayfield said: “Everyone in the pub said the victim was utterly inoffensive and was not offering any violence. People looking on thought he was going to be killed.
“His actions were defensive from start to finish but you seemed determined to hit him.”
She activated the full eight weeks of his suspended sentence, and gave him another 16 months’ jail for the attack, making a total of 18 months.
She also handed him a three-year restraining order to keep him out of the Travellers Inn.