Keswick man fractured friend’s jaw with single punch

A young Keswick man who fractured his friend’s jaw with a single, powerful punch during a night out has been sentenced by a judge.

Leroy Gray, now 20, was 19 at the time of an incident in the street outside a town hotel which was graphically captured on camera on November 11.

CCTV footage played at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday showed intoxicated Gray and the pal facing each other with the latter appearing to be in possession of an object which flashed several times. 

“He was suddenly the subject of a forceful blow to the face,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told a judge.

Gray’s right-handed punch came out of nowhere and seemed inexplicable. The victim’s apparent use of a lighter chimes to some extent with a confusing account provided by Gray when speaking to a probation officer ahead of the sentencing hearing, added Mr Burke.

Gray, who admitted causing grievous bodily harm, had bought water from a filling station shop to help clean blood from around the mouth of his victim, who was later treated in hospital and found to have a jaw fracture which required surgery.

Three titanium plates and a dozen screws were fitted, he had six weeks off a labouring job and was unable to watch his football team Carlisle United.

In a victim impact statement, he spoke of the attack’s impact on his mental health. “He does not feel able to go out alone, worried about bumping into the defendant or the defendant’s friends,” said Mr Burke. A college joinery student, he went from top of the class to second bottom after the assault.

Gray, of Windebrowe Avenue, Keswick, was in full-time town cafe work. “He is clearly a hard-working young man who wants to earn money and go about life in the right way,” said his barrister, Anthony Parkinson.

Judge Ian Unsworth KC concluded there was powerful mitigation in light of Gray’s tender age, remorse, lack of previous convictions and taking into account personal information. He imposed an 18-month community order.

“This was a short-lived, spontaneous but unprovoked assault,” said Judge Unsworth. “It is only good fortune for everyone that he (the victim) has made a good physical recovery. Having read the victim impact statement it is plain it has had a marked effect on him.”

Gray must complete rehabilitation and 100 hours’ unpaid work, a 120-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement and pay the complainant £540 compensation. In addition he was banned from having any contact with him for five years.