Ex-soldier jailed for 'vicious' attack on disabled man

Marc Holmes, who has also worked as a doorman and security guard, was on a night out with his son Brandon when he clashed with another customer at Monty's Bar in The Bull Ring, Sedgley, a judge heard.

He and Taryn Dabbs blamed each other for the taunting that followed but pub staff stepped in and "robustly" ejected him when it threatened to turn nasty, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The 45-year-old defendant was punched and kicked outside by either customers or door staff who also assaulted his son before the melee broke up, it was said.

CCTV filmed Marc Holmes drunkenly prowling the main street looking for trouble as his son tried to calm him down, said Mr William Dudley, prosecuting.

Ms Dabbs and her friend Michael Allen left the pub to make their way home around 2am on September 30 last year but were soon standing on the opposite side of a road junction to Holmes whose 22-year-old son went to confront them.

His father followed and attacked Mr Allen who had a paralysed left arm, was vastly physically inferior and had not been involved in the earlier violence, continued the prosecutor who added: "It was a grotesque sight."

He punched the victim, held him in a headlock and bit him as his son delivered a flurry of blows before the father and Mr Allen both fell to the pavement where the brawl continued until Ms Dabbs and others finally persuaded Marc Holmes to leave.

Mr Allen suffered a burst eardrum, complicated fracture to his paralysed left arm and head to toe bruising, the court heard. Miss Dabbs also had facial injuries.

Mr Sunit Sandhu, defending, said his client reacted with "shock and disbelief" when shown CCTV footage of his behaviour and had not realised the victim was vulnerable.

Mr Mohammed Latif, representing Brandon Holmes, maintained: "It was a moment of madness he bitterly regrets."

The father, from Brookdale, and son, of Barn Owl Place, both Dudley, admitted maliciously wounding Mr Allen and the father further pleaded guilty to assaulting Ms Dabbs.

Recorder Peter Ievins jailed Marc Holmes and gave Brandon a 16-month jail term suspended for two years with 210 hours unpaid work.

He told the pair: "You had a vast amount to drink, behaved in an aggressive, vicious, nasty way and have no one to blame but yourselves."