Man’s face punched so hard his jawbone broke on both sides

VICTIM WAS ATTACKED BY SOMEONE HE BEFRIENDED ON NIGHT OUT

A man out drinking in Loughborough was left with a shattered jaw after making friends with a violent criminal.

Jacob Bateman, who has a string of previous convictions for violence, was alone in Loughborough town centre when he approached his victim’s group in Biggin Street and said: “Where’s the party at?”

His victim invited Bateman to the nearby Revolution bar and the pair could later be seen on CCTV footage walking down the street with their arms around each other.

Then Bateman had a sudden change of heart and punched the other man hard in the face, breaking his jawbone on both sides.

The victim went to the town’s walk-in health centre and was sent to hospital, where he spent 48 hours recovering and having surgery to attach two metal plates to either side of his jaw. Leicester Crown Court heard he also had nerve damage and may never regain feeling in his chin.

Bateman, 27, of Ling Avenue, Loughborough, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

James Bide-Thomas, prosecuting, told the court the incident happened at about 1.30am on November 7.

After being arrested, Bateman told police that the other man had threatened to stab him but later admitted that was a lie.

Mr Bide-Thomas said the incident happened six days after Bateman had been given a suspended prison sentence for two charges of assaulting an emergency worker, plus one count of affray.

Priya Bakshi, representing Bateman, said her client had now been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which explained his offending.

She said: “He felt a sense of relief because sometimes he acts in a way he cannot explain.”

She said it was a single punch that “unfortunately results in serious harm”.

She described her client as being “actually very pleasant” and extremely remorseful and apologetic.

Recorder Richard Davis told Bateman that he would activate the sixweek suspended sentence for the previous offence and add a further 30 weeks for the latest incident.

He said: “There’s a string of assaults from recent years and all of those make this more serious.”