A man who dragged his girlfriend down the street claimed he had previously been knifed by a robber trying to steal his French bulldog.
Kieran Cowley claimed to have been suffering from PTSD when he punched Benjamin Crane in the face at around 12.45am on January 1 2022, shortly after leaving the Shrewsbury Arms in Oxton.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday, June 12, how Cowley and his girlfriend had visited the Shrewsbury Arms with two other couples, including Mr Crane and his fiancee, to celebrate the New Year - but there was "a lot of tension" between the pair, and they began to argue.
Prosecutor Kate Morley said Cowley was persuaded to leave the pub, but returned and began to drag his girlfriend down the street in the direction of the Oxton Bar and Kitchen. Ms Morley said: "He was pulling at his partner and as the group caught up they tried to help her get away from him."
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Mr Crane flagged down a passing police car and begged officers to remain nearby. But as the car drove away, a struggle broke out between Cowley and his girlfriend's friends, during which Cowley grabbed Mr Crane by the throat.
Cowley and the women fell to the ground, and as Mr Crane rushed to help his fiancee, Cowley jumped up and punched him in the face, fracturing his eye socket. Mr Crane said the attack left him with a droopy eye and a scar on his face, which he had to cover up with makeup on his wedding day. The court heard Cowley had continued to blame others for the attack while in custody.
Anthony O'Donohoe, defending Cowley, said the attack was "out of character". He said: "The defendant that night was in a high state of emotional arousal and it's true to say that the defendant himself has suffered a trauma and has been the victim of violence."
Cowley claimed he had previously been knifed in the arm by robbers trying to steal his French bulldog. A series of posts shared by Cowley on Facebook show him advertising French bulldogs for sale.
Cowley also said he had been shot in an attempted car-jacking, and that he had been kidnapped in December 2020, and believed he was suffering from PTSD. But a judge dismissed his claims after he spun a web of lies "trying to avoid the consequences" of his actions.
Judge Brian Cummings said: "None of this was because you suffer from PTSD. It was simply because you were guilty and trying to avoid the consequences."
Cowley provided a false name, date of birth and address to police when they stopped him in the street, and when officers visited his home, he claimed he had been in "all night". But the 27-year-old had no idea his attack had been caught on CCTV.
He later claimed to have acted in self defence, but a jury saw through his lies and found him guilty of assault causing grievous bodily harm. He appeared for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, June 12, where he also pleaded guilty to two counts of police obstruction.
The court heard Cowley had continued to blame others for the attack while in custody.
Judge Cummings said: "I'm sure than you and (your girlfriend) were arguing, probably as a result of jealousy on your part, and I'm sure you became aggressive towards her and towards others who sought to intervene on her behalf. There was no reasoning with you. The landlady at one point persuaded you to leave, but you returned a short time later, determined you were leaving with (your girlfriend) or not at all. You began dragging her along the street.
"There was a tussle in the street, during which some or all of you did end up on the ground. Benjamin Crane was hanging back.
"He was a mild-mannered person and the last person who would become confrontational, and he did nothing to you. You punched him in the face for no reason other than to vent your anger."
Sentencing Cowley to 16 months in prison, he added: "Had you pleaded guilty, this might have been a different story. You could have pleaded guilty and made your apology clear, but you didn't do that. Instead you led a false defence of self defence and effectively blamed him, and removed any quality of mitigation in that regard."
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