Scaffolder kicked sailor in the head in row over chips

A drunken take-away customer from Sunderland has been ordered to pay compensation to a Royal Navy sailor who he kicked in the head during an argument about spilled chips.

Scaffolder Rory Douglas pushed the victim to the ground and then kicked him inthefaceashetriedtogetup. He was knocked unconscious and lost two front teeth.

Douglas was working in Devon and the sailor was on leave and they were strangers whohadnevermetbeforethey ended up at the chip shop in the centre of Torquay.

CCTV showed a group of men mingling around and Douglas going head to head withthevictimbeforelaunching the attack, which was apparently sparked by a dispute over spilled chips.

The footage showed that oneoftheotherpeoplewhointervened to stop the violence was dressed in a blue Smurf costume.

Douglas, 35, of Antwerp Road, Sunderland, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for a year, suspended for two years, by JudgePeterJohnsonatExeter Crown Court.

He was also ordered to do 100hours’unpaidcommunity work,sixdaysofrehabilitation activities and to pay £5,000 compensation and £1,200 costs.

Thejudgetoldhim:“There was a confrontation outside the takeaway and I have seen the CCTV. There is some referencetochipsbeingdropped and it seems you were aggressive. You described yourself as being seven or eight out of ten drunk and within five secondsyouhadkickedhiminthe head.”

Tom Bradnock, prosecuting, said the attack happened at 2.20 am on Saturday, July 25, 2020, and left the sailor needing stitches for a cut to his tongue and mouth and an operation on his teeth.

He was recalled to hospital the day after his release after contracting a parasitic infection, possibly from Douglas’s shoe.

Mr Adrian Chaplin, defending, said Douglas had shown remorse when shown the footage and described his kick as horrendous.

He works as a scaffolding supervisor and has been offered a lucrative contract in Northern Ireland which would enable him to pay compensation while completing community work during return visits to the North East.