‘Berserk’ best man stamped on the face of wedding guest

AWOMAN wedding guest was left with life-changing injuries after the best man ‘went berserk’ at the lavish reception.

Hours after making a speech for the happy couple at the Midland Hotel’s Derby Suite, Chris Deegan, 29, was under arrest – along with his partner Jodie Hardy.

Fuelled by booze and cocaine, Deegan first subjected a 38-year-old male guest to a frenzied unprovoked attack – punching him, straddling him, biting his ear and hitting him, even after he was unconscious.

The woman guest, a 35-year-old beautician who became his second victim, didn’t know the couple getting married – she went to the do as a friend’s ‘plus one’.

She was part of the man’s group and bravely tried to help when he was attacked. Instead, the wedding party watched in horror as Hardy grabbed the woman by the hair and dragged her across the room for four metres – with such force the victim feared her hair would be torn out at the scalp.

When the woman fell to the floor, Deegan, who was dressed in a formal morning suit, kicked her to the head before stamping on her face, causing ‘jigsaw’ injuries to her jaw.

She spent four months on a liquid diet in the aftermath of the attack, the effects of which have been ‘life-changing’, a Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing was told.

The event’s manager was the only person able to give a sober account of what happened, the court heard.

Now Deegan, a groundworker of Hilary Street, Castleton, was jailed for seven years and two months after admitting grievous bodily harm against the female guest, and assault causing actual bodily harm against the male guest – who suffered a black eye, bruising and a bite injury to an ear and one of his thumbs.

Hardy, the 27-year-old mother of Deegan’s son and a hairdresser, also of Hilary Street, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm to the female guest.

The couple sobbed and kissed each other goodbye in the dock as Deegan was sent down – while Hardy was handed a fourmonth jail sentence, suspended for a year.

Both pleaded guilty to the offences, committed in the early hours of November 29, 2015, and said to be triggered by some ‘jostling’ and an ‘exchange of words’ at the party.

Carolyn Smith, defend- ing, said Deegan’s behaviour that night was ‘out of character’ and ‘difficult to fathom’.

Sentencing, Judge David Hernandez said the assaults were ‘mindless’, and described Deegan has having ‘gone berserk’.

“Why stamp on a woman’s face, why kick her in the head?” the judge said. ●●Christopher Deegan was jailed for seven years and two months for grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm while his partner Jodie Hardy (inset) received a suspended jail sentence for assault causing actual bodily harm