Thug jailed for Wem town centre bottle attack
A man who left a friend with a scar to his face after he cut him with a broken bottle during a dispute in Wem town centre has been jailed.
Aaron Chelmick was said to have been in a 'blind rage' when he was involved in an unprovoked attack causing an injury which needed 18 stitches.
Chelmick, 25, was jailed for a total of two years, having been convicted of a charge of wounding following a five-day trial.
He was cleared of the more serious charge of intentionally wounding Ben Goulding during the incident in July last year.
Chelmick, of High Street, Wem, had denied wounding Mr Goulding with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and the alternative charge of wounding.
Judge Peter Barrie said that Chelmick had a 'shameful' record for incidents of violence often fuelled by alcohol or drugs.
"The injury to Mr Goulding left him with a scar to his face and it was an unprovoked attack. While he had taken you down in tackle when you ran at him. It was his defensive action as you were in a blind rage at the time," he said.
Judge Barrie imposed a 21-month sentence for the wounding and implemented a further three months for breaching a suspended sentence for criminal damage and common assault offences.
The court that Chelmick had held victim in a headlock and he had a glass bottle in his hand at the time.
Mr Ben Goulding was left a wound to his cheek which had left him with a T-shaped scar just below his right eye.
The incident happened when a group of friends, including the defendant and the victim, met near the dental surgery in Noble Street at the rear of Wem town hall on July 6 last year.
Mr Goulding told the jury he had not instigated the confrontation with the defendant and said that he had not been drinking alcohol or taken any illegal drugs.
He said there had been an argument among his friends because someone had spilled a fizzy drink over his girlfriend but it had nothing to do with the subsequent clash with the defendant.
Chelmick had claimed he did not strike Mr Goulding with a bottle and said the victim was injured after he had 'rugby tackled' him.
Mr Paul Smith, for Chelmick, said that his client had been mixing with the wrong people and issues with anger management now knows he needs to keep away from alcohol and drugs in the future
