Judge considering prison option for stables man who broke victim’s nose

A RACING stables employee who broke the nose of another man in Lambourn High Street is potentially facing a prison sentence.

Darren Geraghty had previously failed to attend court hearings, despite protesting his innocence.

The case against him was found proved in his absence last November and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He finally appeared in the dock at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 21.

At the previous hearing, the prosecution claimed both Mr Geraghty and victim Luke Moretti worked at a racehorse stables and had fallen out.

Matters first came to a head in July, 2018, the court heard, when Mr Geraghty attacked Mr Moretti, punching him so hard in the face that he broke his nose.

On the second occasion, district judge Sophie Toms was told, Mr Geraghty confronted his victim outside a pub in Lambourn High Street before punching him, kicking him and striking him with a horse’s lead, causing injuries to Mr Moretti.

Mr Moretti said Mr Geraghty had wrongly accused him of stealing from him.

The 30-year-old, of Old Manor Stables, Upper Lambourn, had denied assaulting Mr Moretti, thereby causing him actual bodily harm, at

Lambourn on July 13, 2018.

He had also denied committing the same offence against the same victim in Lambourn on July 28, 2018.

District Judge Toms found both charges proved.

At the latest hearing, Mr Geraghty admitted failing to answer bail for his trial.

District Judge Toms declined to sentence him straight away.

She ordered pre-sentence reports to be prepared on an ‘all options’ basis and warned Mr Geraghty that a prison sentence was an option she was considering.

Mr Geraghty was meanwhile released on conditional bail.