Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
22yrs for thugs who assaulted their victim with tow bar
1O YEARS 12 YEARS Sick pair jailed over flat attack
TWO thugs who laughed as they subjected a man to a vicious beating with weapons including a tow bar were jailed for 22 years yesterday.
The pair launched their sick attack at a flat in the Waterside area of Derry and their severely injured and traumatised victim was dumped in a wheelie bin.
At the city’s Crown Court yesterday, Judge Philip Babington said it was a merciless beating carried out by two cowards.
He added: “The ferocity of the assault can be gauged by the fact that when they left they left smears of the complainant’s blood on the outside of the window.
“In addition there were many blood spatters found around the kitchen and living room area of the property.”
The judge said the defendants had “concocted a hopeless lying defence” during their trial.
There were gasps from the public gallery as he jailed Kenneth Robert Ferguson, 30, from Leafair Gardens in Derry, for 12 years. He has 35 previous convictions.
Sean Johnston, 35, with an address at Flora Gardens in London was jailed for 10 years.
The thug – who has 29 previous convictions – shouted “ye ha” as he was led from the dock.
Both men were convicted unanimously by a jury in May this year of wounding their 26-year-old victim with intent and of falsely imprisoning him.
Ferguson was also convicted of threatening to kill the man and then dumping his body in a wheelie bin while Johnston was acquitted of a further charge of possessing an offensive weapon.
The pair continued to laugh throughout the sustained assault while Ferguson also shouted “tell the truth”.
He used a knife to cut the victim around the head and arms and pressed the blade against his chest and said “I am going to punch a hole in your heart”.
The July 21, 2016 incident started when Ferguson accused his victim of having an affair with his girlfriend.
The defendants
DERRY CROWN COURT
as well as their victim, all of them drug and alcohol addicts, were under the influence of substances at the time.
The pair used a variety of weapons including a tow bar, a knife and a bat to inflict multiple injuries on their victim.
Multiple sutures and stitches were inserted and glue was used on two deep lacerations. The victim also sustained a fractured arm and was treated with morphine for pain.
When police went to the scene of the attack in Strathfoyle, they noted a strong smell of bleach from the kitchen and living room and that the flat had been cleaned.
The victim’s blood was found on the kitchen floor, on the outside rear window as he had tried to escape, on the living room door and wall, on an armchair and on the remains of a mobile phone.
After their arrest both Ferguson and Johnston told police the attack was carried out by “a body builder, a muscle man or steroid head called James or Jamesie”.
Judge Babington said it took the victim six months to fully recover and his mental health also suffered as a result of the injuries.
Both Ferguson and Johnston pose a high risk of violent re-offending and will be subject to the requirements of a Violent Offences Prevention Order.