Oldham attacker knocked funeral mourner unconscious with one punch in Sunderland city centre
An attacker who fractured a man’s cheekbone when he knocked him unconscious with a single punch outside a Sunderland city centre bar could be jailed.
Jack Tracy, 32, whacked his victim when he got between him and a woman he was arguing with outside Cleo’s boozer in Park Lane on Tuesday, November 4 last year.
The assault led Tracy to then commit an act of affray when he was attacked in retribution.
South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard his victim woke up on a bus and did not realise the extent of his injuries until he later sought medical advice.
Tracy, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to charges of affray and grievous bodily harm over what was described as an “impulsive and spontaneous assault”.
Magistrates adjourned the case for an all-options report, opening the way for a possible jail term of up to a year.
Prosecutor James Gallagher said: “The victim will say that he attended Chloe’s bar following a funeral he had attended that day.
“There was an incident in the bar involving two females and he went outside. He says this male was arguing with a female.
“He got between them and invited the male to walk away. He can only remember waking up on a bus and he was told he had been assaulted.
“He had a CT scan. He had a fractured left cheekbone, swelling to his right jaw and two cuts above his right eye.
“Police have viewed CCTV, and you can see the defendant pushing the victim away and there’s one punch to his face which has caused him to be unconscious.
“A number of people outside have joined in. A number of fights ensued and a number of people could have been charged with affray that day.
“This was an impulsive and spontaneous assault. The GBH was just one punch.”
Joanne Gatens, defending, told magistrates that Tracy was a man of previous good character and a father-of-four, with medical carer responsibilities for one of his children.
Mrs Gatens added: “There was an incident outside the pub where it is very clear that Mr Tracy is on one side and another group on another side.
“There is a punch to the injured party which causes him to fall backwards, then there’s the affray.
“In terms of the GBH, it is a one-punch fracture to the cheekbone and stitches were required to an eyebrow.
“It was an impulsive, short-lived incident. The injured party was discharged that night and didn’t require any follow-up treatment.
“I would respectfully say that there are no other aggravating factors. This was out of character for Mr Tracy – he has never come to the attention of the police before.
“There was certainly retribution, and some summary justice was dished out to Mr Tracy. He was kicked to the ground.
“He suspects that his drink was spiked but that is not mitigation, just an explanation.”
Magistrates granted Tracy, whose address was given as Honnington Close, in Chadderton, Oldham, in Greater Manchester, unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, November 12.