A dad was kicked and punched in front of his terrified young children after calling a speeding BMW driver an "idiot". David Atkinson had to pull his seven and nine year old children out of the way as Brandon Chivers came round a corner at speed.
When he and his wife shouted "idiots" at the car, Chivers stopped the car stopped and started walking towards the family, shouting and swearing. As reported by Chronicle Live, Mr Atkinson stood up to him and got the better of a physical altercation.
But others then joined in including Chivers' dad, Mark. Mr Atkinson was savagely attacked as his wife and children hid behind a telegraph pole, screaming. Mr Atkinson was left with blood streaming down his face and his eye was swollen shut.
He suffered numerous cuts to his face and his lower lip was punctured by his tooth. He needed three stitches to his right eyelid and was left with a twitch in his eye when trying to concentrate.
The attack occurred on August 21 last year around 6pm when the family went for a walk near their home in Bedlington Station, Northumberland. Newcastle Crown Court heard Chivers did a U-turn, parked up and approached the approached the family while his girlfriend tried to pull him back.
He asked Mr Atkinson "what's your f****** problem" and shouted and sweared for two or three minutes. Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said: "The complainant said he genuinely feared he was about to be assaulted due to the defendant's manner and he pushed the defendant back seven or eight steps.
"Brandon Chivers grabbed his collar and they fell to the ground, landing near a kerb, with Mr Atkinson on top of the defendant. Four males then approached and the complainant was then assaulted by individuals including Brandon Chivers, who kicked and punched him multiple times. He was kicked and punched to the face and body in front of his wife and children, who can be heard screaming."
Mark Chivers then arrived on the scene and also punched the victim and tried to kick him. However he then stopped his son and others who had joined in the attack and appeared to apologise to Mr Atkinson.
His wife recognised Mark Chivers from school and he sent her a Facebook message afterwards saying "so sorry, just seen the video, my boy will get a bat in the mouth". In a victim impact statement written ten months after the attack, said the whole family is still affected by their ordeal.
"My children are only now able to talk about what they saw but they are struggling to process it and the dog refuses to go down the street where it happened." He said has nightmares, struggles to sleep, is short-tempered, angry and it's affected his mental health.
"We live very close to the people who did this to me. In the street, in the shop, I'm always on edge in case I see them and worried about what they might do," he said. "I can't understand how two people, especially a father and son, can do that in front of people, especially their wife and children. It blows my mind."
Brandon Chivers, 23, had no previous convictions bit his dad, 45, had 12 convictions, including causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assault and violent disorder. Both admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the attack.
Shada Mellor, for Brandon, said Mr Atkinson was getting the better of him at the start and that he acted out of character. Shaun Routledge, for Mark Chivers, said the groundworker was "full of regret and remorse" and had went on to act as a peacemaker.
Judge Stephen Earl gave Brandon a 12-month jail sentence but suspended it for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 100 hours unpaid work. His dad was handed a 10-month jail term suspended for 18 months and the pair, both of Queen's Road, Bedlington Station, were also given two-year restraining orders.
Judge Earl said: "Those two children spent their time hiding with a woman hanging onto them behind a telegraph pole. That's quite frightening and neither of you had any thought for those kids, who could see their dad getting kicked and hit into as a result of this."
