Attack left man with brain bleed and skull fracture
A PLUMBER left a footballer with a bleed on the brain and a fractured skull after throwing an unprovoked punch during a drunken night in Swansea city centre.
Ben Edwards, a 21-year-old goalkeeper who has played in the Cymru Premier, nearly lost his sight in one eye after James Gluyas’ vicious strike.
Mr Edwards, who plays for Swansea University FC, had been enjoying a night out with friends on September 14 last year when he was attacked during the early hours in Wind Street.
Prosecutor Regan Walters told Swansea Crown Court that Mr Edwards had become aware of an argument between one of his friends and Gluyas, a 21-year-old plumber who was also out drinking.
Mr Edwards “tried to calm the situation down” and stood between his friend and Gluyas. It was not clear what the row was about, the court heard.
The prosecutor added: “Mr Edwards said words to the effect of: ‘Lads, chill out, calm down.’” Gluyas responded with what a manager at the nearby Coyote Ugly bar described as a “flying punch” to Mr Edwards’ face. The attacker was also heard by a witness to shout: “What the f*** are you going to do?” He appeared to “use all his strength” in the punch, Mr Walters told the court.
“Police attended and separated the parties,” said Mr Walters. “Mr Edwards was sat with his head resting on his arms and knees. His left eye was already swollen shut with purple bruising.
Mr Gluyas told officers that Mr Edwards had squared up to him and prior to this had made threats to his friend. Mr Gluyas was arrested and he threatened to kick an officer during the search of his person. Footage played in court showed Mr Edwards had not squared up to Gluyas.
The court heard Mr Edwards, who previously played in the Cymru Premier for Cefn Druids, was a football scholar at Swansea University where he studied medical pharmacology.
The attack left him with a serious injury to his eye socket and fracture extending to the base of his skull, as well as a fracture to his cheekbone and a bleed on the brain.
A metal plate and six screws had to be inserted to hold his cheekbone in place and he could have lost sight in his left eye if not for an operation.
In his personal statement he said: “After the incident I had severe headaches that affected me in lectures. I could not concentrate too long and struggled to keep up with my class. I am still in pain, especially when it is cold out, and I have lost sensation in some places.
“I have a permanent scar on the left side of my head. I used to go out regularly with friends but since the incident I do not feel like going out drinking in case something happens.
“I could not play football for ten weeks, which was a massive part of my life, and that could have affected my scholarship.”
Gluyas, of Ravenhill Road in Ravenhill, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH).
He told police he had been drinking with friends in Uplands that night, estimating he had eight pints of beer and four shots. He rated himself “eight out of ten intoxicated” and could not remember what happened after he got to Wind Street apart from going to a bar.
He had no previous convictions. In a letter to the court he said he was “not a violent man” but that he took “full responsibility” for his actions, adding: “Since September not a day has gone by when I haven’t felt remorse.
“My excessive drinking and partying habits have ended and I have made efforts to turn my life around.”
John Allchurch, mitigating, said his client, a plumber and gas engineer, earned £460 a week and paid £50 to his mother in weekly rent.
“He left school at 16 and has a very strong work ethic,” Mr Allchurch told the court.
The solicitor accepted that Mr Edwards had only been trying to “usher away” Gluyas but argued the strike was a “jab” rather than a flying punch.
He called for a suspended sentence on the basis that the attack was out of character and Gluyas was “not a danger to the public”.
The judge, Recorder Christian Jowett, noted that during the arrest officers had used a spit hood to protect themselves from Gluyas spitting blood.
He also said Mr Edwards had been attacked simply for trying to stop a fight.
But the judge took into account the probation service’s report which said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and low risk of repeat offending.
“I am satisfied, but only just satisfied, that I need not impose immediate custody,” said Recorder Jowett, who sentenced Gluyas to a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months as well as 200 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation and £1,200 in compensation for the victim.