Jailed: Thug who delivered 'boxer-style' punch during attack in bar

Defendant Joseph Ashley Doyle, 26, of Longfield, Chirk, delivered a heavy boxer-style punch followed by more blows which broke his victim’s jaw in two places.

Doyle admitted a GBH charge at Mold Crown Court and was jailed for 14 months.

Judge Rhys Rowlands – who watched a CCTV recording of the attack – said it was entirely unwarranted.

Victim Anthony Carter ended up on the floor having lost consciousness momentarily and needed plates inserted during surgery to fix his jaw which was broken in two places.

Judge Rowlands, sentencing, said: “In drink, you simply lost your temper.”

The court was told he had far drunk too much and had claimed in his pre-sentence report he had little recollection of what happened.

“What is clear is that in drink you became aggressive,” added Judge Rowlands.

“The message has got to get out that drunken violence on licensed premises in the early hours, which results in serious injury, has to lead to immediate custodial sentences.”

He warned that if he had been convicted after trial then he would have received a 21-month prison sentence.

Judge Rowlands said he appreciated the defendant had to deal with tragedy in his family and that his mother was ill.

But added from where he sat, he said it was difficult to understand why the defendant would seek to cope by going out, drinking to excess and becoming violence.

The attack in March happened incident occurred within a few days of the defendant being fined for an earlier assault upon a police officer.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said it had all been that the incident in March was captured on CCTV at the Hidden Bar in Rhyl.

The defendant picked up a coat, the victim tapped him on the shoulder and said he thought he had taken the wrong coat, and Doyle became aggressive and punched him with force. He then threw several more punches.

The victim was off work for two months, had been medicated for depression, and had suffered nerve damage which led to a loss of feeling to his chin and lips.

Defending barrister Maria Massellis said Doyle was devastated by his own behaviour.

“He knows in the cold light of day behaviour like that will not be tolerated by the court and cannot be excused,” she said.