Derry man given suspended sentence after 'disgraceful, unprovoked and sustained attack'

A man who told police watching himself assault a man on CCTV made him 'feel sick' has been given a suspended sentence at Derry Magistrate's Court for what a judge described as 'disgraceful, unprovoked and sustained attack' on another man.

Jonathan Wells (32) of Dunfield Terrace in Derry admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a man on May 12.

The court heard that police were called by CCTV operators to a report of two males fighting in William Street. 

They found the injured party 'covered in blood' and he told them he had been assaulted by the defendant who was not known to him.

The victim said he did not know how many times he had been punched and was unsure if he had been unconscious. 

An examination of CCTV showed an altercation in which the injured party was trying to break it up. 

Following this the defendant and the injured party had a verbal altercation before Wells punched the man causing him to go to the ground. 

A short time later the defendant could be seen walking beside the injured party before dropping his takeaway box and punching him again and then was seen 'shouting aggressively' at him.

The injured party was noticed to be unsteady on his feet and sat on a bench when the defendant sat beside him and then punched him again knocking him out. 

Wells ran off but was detained by police and later said he didn't know why he had done it. 

Defence solicitor Paddy McDaid said it was clear the custody threshold had been well passed. '

He said his client was' thoroughly ashamed ' of his actions and accepted that he alone was responsible for what had happened.

District Judge Barney McElholm said that this was a disgraceful assault and imposed a sentence of nine months suspended for three years and ordered Wells to pay £750 in compensation.