Sunderland thug loses appeal against jail term for grandfather attack

Luke Scorer smashed windows and then the front door of 55-year-old Kenneth Allen's house before hitting him repeatedly with a spade.

Mr Allen, whose family Scorer wrongly believed was involved in the hit-and-run death of a relative, suffered a fractured forearm and hand while defending himself and also received wounds to his head.

Scorer, 29, of Mount Pleasant, Houghton, was jailed for 35 months at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year after admitting grievous bodily harm.

He later launched a bid to have his sentence against the “completely unprovoked attack" reduced.

Yet this was dismissed by judges at London’s Court of Appeal on Tuesday.

Newcastle Crown Court was told in September that Mr Allen’s whole family were left in fear after Scorer began smashing windows with the spade at their Houghton house.

The hearing was told that the thug wrongly believed a relative of the Allen family was involved in or was responsible for his uncle Gary Wood's death in a hit-and-run in 2017.

Prosecutor Joe Hedworth told the court: "They were simply related to someone who Luke Scorer wrongly believed was involved or responsible for the death of his uncle.

"The Allen family, in particular the complainant Kenneth Allen, were wholly innocent victims."

David Lamb, mitigating, said Scorer was a hard-working family man, of previous good character, who had been drinking that day at a BBQ.

Mr Lamb added: "The defendant held a mistaken belief, not doubt because of his state of intoxication, that in some way someone in the house in question was in some way, erroneously, obviously, involved in the death.”

The court also heard that Scorer's dad, Richard Scorer, turned up at the house when the attack was underway in July 2018 and warned Mr Allen: "It's not finished this."

Scorer senior, 50, of John Street, Houghton, admitted affray and was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work.

Full details behind the decision to reject Luke Scorer’s appeal are expected to be published shortly.