MAN VICIOUSLY ATTACKED HIS NEIGHBOUR IN STREET
40-year-old snapped and carried out prolonged assault following long-running dispute
A CLEETHORPES man “lost control” and viciously beat his neighbour, continuing to kick and stamp on him while he was on the ground.
Peter Melin, 40, pictured, formerly of Phelps Street, punched and kicked the victim “far too many times to count” after a longrunning dispute.
Melin, who was drunk at the time, repeatedly came back out of his house to continue the attack. The victim was laid incapacitated on the ground for nearly ten minutes as he was assaulted before he was able to muster the strength to get up.
The attack on the evening of January 11, 2021, came after months of animosity between them, with Melin reporting his neighbour to the police three times for harassment.
The victim had been returning from a shop where he had bought roses for his girlfriend when he met Melin in Phelps Street. Melin, who had drunk a litre of cider, launched a “vicious, sustained” attack which left the man with eight cuts to his head and bruising all over his body. He walked away from the man lying on the ground several times during the attack, at one point being pulled away by his partner, only to return and continue stamping or kicking him.
The victim was left lying in a pool of blood along with the flowers, and required hospital treatment.
Melin was arrested that night by police, who found a blanket stained with blood in the washing machine, and he admitted he had lost control and snapped.
He said: “After all the **** he’s put us through, he needed that smacking. Everyone has a breaking point.”
He added that the assault had been “a fair fight”.
The victim was unable to work for a week after the assault, and lost his job with an agency as a result.
He continues to have difficulty eating and sleeping because of his head injuries, and has regular headaches.
He and his partner had both been left fearful of being outside the house, and look over their shoulders while walking the street. Melin pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, and admitted that the force he used was excessive. He blamed the attack on what he describes as “months of harassment” which led to him snapping. His defence solicitor Mr Lunn told Grimsby Court Court: “Mr Melin hangs his head in shame now watching the CCTV footage of the attack.
“He has good character, and has put some minor offences from his youth in the 1990s far behind him. “He and the victim have a difficult history. On this occasion, he lost control and his temper. He knew what he was doing but was unable to stop.”
Judge Nadim told the defendant: “You subjected the victim to a prolonged, sustained and vicious attack while he was incapacitated, and aimed for the most vulnerable part of his body.
“There were far too many blows to count, and the violence has had a profound effect on the victim.” Melin has been sentenced to six years and three months in jail, with his co-operation with the police being noted.