Sunderland man jailed for revenge attack on pal after night out in Roxannes in South Shields

Mark Reay was already on crutches due to a leg injury when Gareth Don lashed out over "long standing grievances" and inflicted "deliberate and serious violence" on him.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the men had been on a night out at Roxannes in South Shields in January and there seemed to be no animosity inside the club.

Mr Reay remembers nothing of the violence unleashed upon him outside at the end of the night but was left with a broken nose and bruising and swelling to his head and face.

He said in a victim statement: "I want answers as to why he has done this to me."

The court heard one witness to the attack saw Mr Reay lying on the ground, with Don standing over him.

Prosecutor Claire Anderson told the court: "He saw him run over and kick him in the head and face.

"The defendant was shouting 'he robbed me'.

"He states he believes Mr Reay was unconscious by this point.

"As Mr Reay was lying on the floor the defendant punched and kicked him a couple of times, with some force.

"He said the defendant took a run up."

Don, 25, was arrested and confessed he had attacked Mr Reay.

Miss Anderson said: "He said Mr Reay hadn't provoked him but he had just flipped after years of issues and felt fuelled by dutch courage."

Don, of Rangoon Road, Redhouse, Sunderland, admitted assault and has now been jailed for eight months.

Judge Tim Gittins told him: "This was upon someone who was an associate of yours, a friend even, albeit it seems you had a simmering resentment over long standing grievances between you, perhaps relating to money, perhaps not, it matters little.

"The fact is, on that night, having been out with a group of friends, you determined, because you were under the influence of drink and possibly drugs, that you were going to take out your grievance upon him.

"He was vulnerable at the time to such an attack because he was on crutches with a leg injury."

Judge Gittins said Mr Reay was left "trying to understand why someone he viewed as a friend acted in such a violent fashion towards him".

The judge added: "You used your shod foot, several times, to a very vulnerable part of his body, namely his head and face.

"The fact of any provocation over a long period of time I disregard, ultimately you decided to take revenge for what you perceived to be those grievances."

Fiona Lamb, defending, said Don moved away from the area he was living and cut down his drinking after the attack.

Miss Lamb said Don was worried about the effect a prison sentence would have on his mental health.

She told the court: "He said he was an idiot and full of drink and regrets his actions."

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