BRUTE BROKE WOMAN’S JAW IN FRONT OF BABY
LAUNCHED STREET ATTACK AS VICTIM’S PAL PUSHED PRAM
A THUG and his girlfriend were hauled before court following a brutal rampage.
Adam Wass, 30, already had a string of convictions for violence when he carried out two attacks within an hour of each other on May 7.
He had been travelling home from work with his girlfriend, Whitney Kennedy, 25, when he spotted two women known to him, pushing a pram along Albion Way in Salford.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Wass began shouting abuse at the women through the window of his girlfriend’s car, saying ‘you’re not right in the head.’
The situation escalated when Wass spat at the women, causing them to spit back in the direction of Miss Kennedy, prosecutor Virginia Hayton said.
This angered Wass, who got out of the car and was seen by a member of the public to punch one of the women in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. As he left he turned to the other woman and said ‘I just knocked your mate out,’ before getting back in the car and driving away.
Ms Hayton told the court that the four month-old baby girl in the pram was the daughter of the uninjured woman’s brother and her sister-inlaw.
“She called her brother to tell him what had happened and reassure him that his baby daughter was okay,” Ms Hayton said. “The other female went to hospital for her injuries and had an x-ray which showed she had an oblique fracture to her jaw. She underwent surgery and was in hospital for four days.”
Around 45 minutes later, as the woman’s brother and his girlfriend made their way to collect their baby daughter, they were approached by Wass and Kennedy.
“Whilst they were on route, a car pulled up in front of them,” Ms Hayton said. “Adam Wass jumped out of his car and got onto the bonnet of the man’s car and was seen to have a blade of some kind in his hand.”
The court heard that as both the occupants of the car tried to run away, Wass pursued the man and struck him, causing a 7cm wound to his neck area and narrowly missing a major artery. As the victim’s girlfriend ran back to her car, the court heard that Kennedy drove her vehicle towards the woman.
The woman became trapped between her own car and Kennedy’s, causing a fracture to her ankle and a serious knee injury.
Wass, of Doddington Lane, Salford, was arrested a day later and claimed he had been protecting his girlfriend in ‘self defence.’ He later admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding and was jailed for four years and six months.
Kennedy pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days rehabilitation requirement and ordered to attend a women’s problem solving course.
In a statement from Wass’ first victim, the court heard she feels like a ‘prisoner in her body’ and still finds it hard to cope nearly seven months after the attack. Kennedy’s victim said in a statement that she was left feeling like a ‘worthless’ mother after her injuries left her struggling to care for her daughter.
The court was told the mother may require further surgery to her ankle, and still suffers from panic attacks and paranoia. Defending Wass, Mark Friend told the court: “At the time of this offence he had been released from custody and had started to try and change his life path.”
Simon Gurney, defending Kennedy, said she had been working as a care home assistant and had ambitions to become a nurse.
“She is deeply ashamed to find herself here today,” he said.
Jailing Wass, Judge Patrick Field QC said: “The first assault was an act of violence on a public street with a young child present. I have no doubt that the second assault was an incident that caused shock and dismay to those who witnessed it.”
Sentencing Kennedy, the judge said: “Your behaviour, at the very least, was unacceptable, and I can only hope that when your barrister said there will be no repetition, he is right.”