A violent robber who was jailed this week revealed that he was slashed in prison during a “revenge attack”.
Peter McHale’s barrister asked him to show a judge at Liverpool Crown Court a slash across his left cheek to show the threat he faced in prison during a sentencing hearing this week.
The 36-year-old now faces further time at HMP Liverpool under an “unusual amount of fear and stress” after being handed a significant jail term for a brutal robbery carried out against a teen LFC fan and his girlfriend earlier this year.
READ MORE: Robber smashed LFC fan's jaw in violent attack outside hotel
There was no suggestion the prison attack on McHale, who has a range of previous convictions and has spent time behind bars before, was linked to that specific incident. McHale appeared before Judge Louise Brandon on Wednesday after admitting attacking two 17-year-olds visiting Liverpool for the weekend back in April.
He assaulted one of the teens first, hitting him multiple times and following him off the street and into the Mercure Hotel before attacking him again. On the way out he ran up to the teen’s girlfriend and ripped the coat she was carrying from her hands, knocking her over in the process.
Scans later revealed the boy’s jaw had been broken in three places and he required extensive surgery. McHale said the attack was driven by excessive alcohol consumption and said he was committed to addressing his alcohol abuse in prison.
The court heard he has a range of convictions, including for multiple assaults, a robbery and drug offences.
Julian Nutter, defending, appealed to the judge to keep McHale’s sentence as short as possible and said he had faced difficulties in HMP Liverpool, including an attack that left him with a wound across his face. He asked McHale to turn his head in the dock to show the judge a scar on one side.
Mr Nutter did not reveal further details of the attack but said: “I want to be clear, because I know there are press here, it did not happen because he narked on anybody, it happened because someone wanted to take revenge on him in prison.”
The court heard that queries had been made about whether McHale would be taken back to another prison but that it was likely he would go back to Walton. Addressing the judge, Mr Nutter said: “You know that for part of his time in prison so far and for part of his time to come he will be in conditions where he is under an unusual amount of fear and stress.”
Judge Brandon said she realised McHale faced specific issues in jail but ruled him to be a dangerous offender and said a lengthy custodial term, followed by an extended licence period, was necessary because of the offences he committed.
McHale, of Union Street, was jailed for four years and four months for the offences committed in the city centre and will then face another three years on extended licence. He will also serve four months of a suspended sentence originally handed to him just before he carried out the attack, which the judge partially activated.
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