Sunderland yob who drank 15 pints of snakebite glassed pal who called him 'fat' in horrific New Year's Day attack

A reveller who thrust a glass into his pal's neck because he called him a 'fat ****' during a New Year's Day out drinking has been jailed for four years.
James GordonJames Gordon
James Gordon

James Gordon, who had drank 15 pints of snakebite and taken 3g of cocaine, lashed out after his friend's "joke" remark and left him with serious wounds that needed stitches and steri-strips at hospital.CCTV footage of the shocking attack shows the 37-year-old stand up and forcefully push his glass into his victim's neck area, twice, causing blood to gush from four separate wounds to his throat and jawline.After the injuries were inflicted, the stricken pal said: "James, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, it was a joke, I shouldn't have said it."He suffered a deep laceration to the front of his neck, which was down to the muscle, two cuts to the sides of his jaw and a puncture wound to the side of his ear, which were treated under local anaesthetic, as well as other superficial scratches.The victim of the attack, that happened at the Thorney Close Club in Sunderland, did not co-operate with the police investigation.Gordon, of Abercorn Road, Sunderland, who works as a contractor and has a good employment record, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent.Judge Edward Bindloss told Gordon: "This blew up out of very little, from what I can see and from what I have read."The complainant called you a 'fat ****' and you grossly over-reacted to that. You stood up, you struck him with a pint glass you were holding, twice, to the face."The judge said Gordon's reaction to the derogatory comment was "vastly over the top" but said he accepted he was an otherwise hard working family man who stayed away from trouble.Judge Bindloss told him: "It is extremely sad to see you in this position you have found yourself".Glen Gatland, defending, said Gordon is a devoted dad and family man with positive references from his employer and others who know him and described what happened as "tragic" for all involved.Mr Gatland said both men, who had been friends for a decade, had had a lot to drink during the day out and added: "The complainant suddenly said those words to him about him being a 'fat ****' and that immediately seemed to have provoked the defendant, who struck out at him twice."The court heard Gordon, who left the club after the attack, had no recollection of what he did but handed himself in to the police and confessed he had been involved.