A teenager was headbutted and knocked unconscious by a man under the influence of cocaine after he wrongly accused him of giving his younger brother the drug. The 16-year-old victim locked himself away for two months after the attack.
Cameron Wilson, 21, was in a car when he saw the teenager in Porthcawl, Bridgend, on July 2 last year. He had wrongly come to the view the victim had given his younger brother cocaine a few weeks before the assault.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard the defendant got out of the car and headbutted the victim and punched him repeatedly until he was knocked unconscious. His mouth was cut during the assault.
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Prosecutor Tom Roberts said there was "significant pre meditation" in this case and the assault was aggravated by the fact the victim had suffered injuries and Wilson was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol at the time. The defendant, of Dalfelin, North Cornelly, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was acquitted of possession of an offensive weapon following a trial.
In a victim personal statement read out to the court, the teenager said: "I am a changed man. For a number of weeks after the incident I suffered significant mood swings and since then I have felt low and vulnerable. I am constantly replaying scenarios through my head and the incident will continue to haunt me for a significant period of time.
"I considered myself to be a normal outgoing young man. Unfortunately that is something that has changed since the incident. I locked myself away for two months after the assault and I have struggled to sleep. My personality has changed and I feel been robbed of the innocence of my youth."
In mitigation, Rhodri Chudleigh said his client had a difficult childhood and has been diagnosed with ADHD. He began abusing alcohol at the age of 12 which led him to taking cocaine. The barrister said the defendant was "heavily intoxicated" at the time of the assault and was drinking between 20 and 30 cans of beer a day but has drinking has reduced dramatically since".
Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said: "You intended to cause harm to (the victim). You were angry and decided to take the law into your own hands... There was irony in the fact you attacked (the victim) for giving your brother cocaine in that you had taken alcohol and were high on cocaine when you carried out the assault."
Wilson was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to carry out a 35-day rehabilitation activity requirement and was made subject to a six-month curfew between 9pm and 6am. He was also made subject to a two-year restraining order.
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