Thug with hammer jailed after assault

Court Reporter

A THUG armed with a hammer left two men injured then racially abused a neighbour who told him he was going to call the police.

Daniel Sullivan turned up at a man’s house while he was in bed and demanded he hand over his prescription medication. A fight broke out during which he punched the householder, and struck his friend on the head with a hammer.

After the pair got Sullivan outside, he started hitting the front door with a hammer and a neighbour came out to tell him to leave and that he was going to ring the police.

A court heard Sullivan responded by threatening to “smash his face in” and told him “shut up you p*** c***” before smashing glass in his door.

Newcastle Crown Court was told Sullivan has a previous conviction for stabbing and trying to rob them at a schoolgirl’s birthday party when he went to complain about noise.

Now the 30-year-old, of St Vincent Street, South Shields, has been locked up for his latest offences.

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said Sullivan went to the home of Philip Bates, on Baring Street, South Shields, around midnight on February 13. Mr Bates was in bed and his friend, Philip Leask, was downstairs watching television.

Mr Perks said: “He appeared at Mr Bates’ bedroom door asking for medication and he appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

“The defendant was asked by the complainant to leave and a confrontation took place in which punches were thrown and the complainant and the defendant fell downstairs.

“Mr Leask tried to manhandle him out of the address, at which point the defendant raised a hammer and struck out at Mr Leask.

“A loud crack was heard as the hammer hit his head.”

Mr Leask, who was hit several times with the hammer, suffered a wound above his right eye, swelling to his eye and knee pain and spent five nights in hospital as a result.

Mr Bates suffered cuts to his face and knee, a swollen cheekbone and grazes.

Sullivan went outside and began hitting the front door with the hammer while shouting threats to

“smash your bald head in”. The neighbour saw what was going on and shouted at him to leave and told him he was going to call the police.

Mr Perks said: “He then turned and addressed him and threatened to smash his face in with the hammer and said ‘shut up you p*** c***.’

“He moved to the neighbour’s address and used the hammer to break glass in the front door, causing £200 of damage.”

Sullivan was arrested shortly after the attack. He tried to run off but was chased down by a police dog.

He pleaded guilty to wounding, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a racially aggravated public order offence, racially aggravated criminal damage and having an offensive weapon. He was jailed for two years and eight months.

Daniel Sullivan, jailed for offences including wounding and assault

The court heard he has 34 previous convictions, including for the offence at the schoolgirl’s birthday party in 2012, for which he was jailed for five years for four attempted robberies and four counts of wounding.

Gavin Doig, defending, said Sullivan was drunk not on drugs and has no history of racially aggravated offending, adding: “He is extremely ashamed of having used that language and causing the offence he did. It was a brief, unpleasant assault.”