A Solihull carpenter who felled another young man with a single punch, fracturing his jaw, has been ordered to pay his victim £1,200 after he escaped being jailed.
Jake Darcy had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Ryan Keane, who Warwick Crown Court heard has been left with a metal plate in his jaw for the rest of his life.
Darcy (20) of Falstaff Road, Shirley, Solihull, was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months and was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay compensation to Mr Keane at £100 a month.
Prosecutor Anthony Cartin said the incident happened that at about 2.45 in the morning on Saturday, July 17 last year outside the CazBar night club in Union Street, Stratford.
Mr Keane had been in the club, and after leaving to join some friends outside he became aware of Darcy, who he said began ‘getting in his face,’ said Mr Cartin.
“Mr Keane turned to walk away, and as he did so he was hit and fell to the floor unconscious, and came to with blood all over his mouth.”
Although he knew nothing more about what had happened, a witness said Darcy had been play-fighting with one of his friends when Mr Keane had said something like ‘I could take you.’
“The defendant didn’t like that, and punched him to the jaw, causing his head to go back and hit a lamppost, and the defendant then ran off.”
Mr Keane was seen by paramedics who attended the scene and was advised to go to A&E at Warwick Hospital, where an x-ray confirmed he had a fracture to his jaw.
He underwent surgery the following day to have a metal plate fitted to his jaw, which will remain in place for the rest of his life – but at least the operation was carried out from inside his mouth, so he will not be left with a visible scar.
He was later told Darcy’s name by others who had found him via social media, and that was passed to the police.
Darcy was arrested, and admitted what he had done.
Nick Devine, defending, said there was a recommendation in a pre-sentence report for Darcy, a carpenter taking home £400 a week, to do a ‘significant amount’ of unpaid work.
“He has shown genuine remorse throughout. It was extremely out of character,” said Mr Devine, who pointed out that Darcy’s only previous conviction was for causing damage by way of graffiti when he was much younger.
“Mr Darcy was play-fighting with one of his friends, causing no offence, when the complainant said something like ‘I could have you,’ something to which Mr Darcy uncharacteristically took exception and punched him once.
“He is a young man who has learned a crucial lesson, and he has been taking less drink since then,” added Mr Devine.
Sentencing Darcy, Recorder Christopher Tickle told him: “This is not the sort of think you normally do. You are a self-employed carpenter, and you have a partner and a child on the way in a couple of months’ time.
“What happened that night was pretty inexplicable. Obviously some words were exchanged, but why, no-one knows, and you struck out, and the victim falls to the floor as a result of this one blow.”
