Intervening victim left with fractured spine after Leeds thug's train-mistake fury
A man was left with a fractured spine after an angry thug turned on him near Garforth railway station.
The man tried to intervene when Dale Day was damaging fences on Aberford Road.
Day kicked and punched the man repeatedly, before trying to push him into oncoming traffic, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Day admitted a charge of Section 18 GBH with intent and was handed jail after the judge said it was “too serious” for anything other than a custodial sentence.
The court was told that the victim had been in his car, parked in a church car park, at around 6.50pm on December 13, 2024.
He spotted Day damaging fence panels at nearby residential properties so tried to stop him.
Day shouted “come on then” and punched the man, causing him to fall to the floor.
He continued to rain blows down on him and kicked him to the head and body “between 10 and 20 times” while repeatedly shouting he would kill him.
The victim was able to get to his feet and Day tried to push him into the busy road. Day then ran off.
The man was taken to hospital suffering a fractured jaw and spine, along with cuts and bruise to his body.
In a victim impact statement, read to the court, the man said he spent four days in hospital, was forced to use a wheelchair and then crutches and was left in “severe pain”.
Day, of Telford Walk, Hunslet, has no previous convictions. He admitted two counts of criminal damage to the fence panels as well as the GBH.
Mitigating for the 28-year-old, Matthew Stewart said that Day was “genuinely remorseful” for his actions and was “embarrassed and disgusted”.
He pointed to his lack of previous convictions and said: “He has acted completely out of character.”
He said Day, who works on building sites, had been drinking that day, thought he had missed his train stop and mistakenly got off at Garforth.
Mr Stewart said Day had suffered serious bowel problems since being a teenager and had 80% of his intestine removed.
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar told Day: “You got off the train at the wrong place and, in drink, you were frustrated at yourself.
“It led you to cause damage to those gardens fences you were passing by.”
Speaking of the assault, Judge Khokhar said: “It arose from drink and your frustration at not being in the right place.
“It had nothing to do with your illness. This is an offence that’s so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified.”
He jailed Day for 30 months.