Shrewsbury man, 29, jailed for pub glass attack

Duncan Glackin, 29, of St Michael's Street, was jailed for the attack which took place in the Dolphin Pub in Shrewsbury on January 23.

However, Judge Peter Barrie, sitting at Shrewsbury Crown Court, accepted the defence argument that Glackin had reacted instinctively and had forgotten he was holding the glass at the time he hit the victim.

Robert Edwards, prosecuting, said the victim had very little recollection of the incident.

He said: "He has very little recall of what took place other than to say this defendant was making unpleasant remarks to his friend."

Mr Edwards said that the victim had intervened as his female friend became upset at Glackin's remarks and the situation escalated.

He said: "He describes the defendant punching out at him full force to the left cheek and neck area. He believed it had been delivered by a punch but became immediately aware that blood was pouring down his face."

The victim's friend described his face as "exploding with blood".

Mr Edwards said: "She described the defendant launching towards the victim with an empty pint glass. She heard the glass smash and she described his face exploding with blood."

She also described a two-inch shard of glass left sticking out of the victim's wounds.

The victim was taken to hospital and treated for 10 lacerations to his face and neck.

Glackin, who pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful wounding was arrested and interviewed by police following the incident. The court was told that during the course of questioning he admitted to making remarks to the woman, who he also knew.

He told police that she had started to slap him and the victim had put his hand on his shoulder, at which point he had instinctively lashed out.

Mr Edwards said: "He concluded the interview by repeatedly saying he was sorry, and he was in the view of the officer showing genuine remorse."

Brendan Reedy, mitigating, said it was "not a case of someone who set out to engineer a fight in a pub", and that Glackin had "struck out in blind panic".

He added that Glackin had never behaved in that manner before.

He said: "This is a man who in a split second acted entirely out of character for his previous 29 years."

Sentencing, Judge Barrie said the attack had caused significant injuries but "this was not a classic case of glassing someone in a fight, which would have got you into far more trouble than this".

He said: "It may have been a single blow but it was certainly a blow that was intended to be aggressive to him and although it is accepted you did not have it in your mind to at that moment you struck the blow that you had a glass in your hand, you were certainly being reckless about it."