Man spared jail for attack in Oswestry pub
A man who left his victim with multiple fractures after punching him once in the face at an Oswestry pub, has been spared immediate custody.
The attack, almost three years ago, left Tony Jones with serious damage to his nose and eye socket.
Robert Davies was yesterday given a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
Davies, 39, had been convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Jones in December 2011 following a trial held last month.
Davies, of Cae Melin Avenue, Oswestry, was also put on supervision for a year, must attend a reducing violence programme and complete 250 hours' unpaid work.
In addition, Davies was ordered to pay £3,000 compensation to Mr Jones, £500 towards court costs and has been banned from the George pub in Bailey Head for two years.
The court heard that Davies, a father-of-three had been attending a band rehearsal in a back room at the pub on December 23, 2011.
There was a dispute over alcohol which was removed and Davies was involved in a shouting match with another man and the landlord had to intervene. As Davies returned to the room Mr Jones was coming in the opposite direction and had done nothing wrong when he was punched in the face.
At his trial Davies had claimed he was reacting to being hit on the ear.
Judge Robin Onions told Davies that he had taken into account the delay in the case, his personal family circumstances and that others he worked with in the construction industry may lose their jobs if he was imprisoned immediately.
"It is a very close run thing. You are maybe more fortunate than you deserve," he said.
He told Davies that he had "no excuse" for striking out at the first person he saw because of an earlier dispute with others and hit Mr Jones with a "single disabling blow".
Judge Onions said the victim was knocked to the ground with blood pouring from his face having suffered multiple fractures. "Even now Mr Jones is suffering. As the driver of a freezer lorry he can only stay in the cold for a few minutes because of the effect on his injuries," said the judge.
Miss Debra White, for Davies, said her client regretted the injuries he had caused, but it was not a premeditated blow and was out of character.
