A violent thug battered a teenage Liverpool fan and left him needing surgery.
Peter McHale robbed the 17 year old and his girlfriend at the Mercure Hotel in Liverpool city centre earlier this year in an attack that saw him chase the boy and punch him repeatedly. The boy’s jaw was broken in three places and he later had a suspected seizure while waiting for medical attention.
A judge at Liverpool Crown Court told dad-of-one McHale he was a “violent individual who has no ability to control his temper” as she handed him an extended prison term this afternoon.
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Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting, said the 17 year old and his girlfriend were out in Liverpool celebrating his birthday on April 11 this year. They had been out for a meal in the city centre and were making their way back to the Mercure Hotel, where they were staying.
On their way back they came across McHale, 36, and his partner and spoke with them briefly, including about how they were Liverpool FC fans. Mr Walmsley said the victim and his girlfriend then said goodbye and left but that McHale ran after them shortly afterwards and began his attack.
CCTV footage showed him punching out at the teenager outside the Mercure Hotel before chasing him inside and continuing the attack there. The teen’s girlfriend, who was carrying his coat, followed them into the hotel but McHale then turned to her and pushed her to the floor before taking the coat and running off.
The couple tried to call an ambulance but were told there were heavy delays so the boy tried to get some rest. However, while his girlfriend watched him he had a suspected seizure and an ambulance came immediately and took him to hospital.
Scans showed his jaw was broken in three places and he required surgery involving the insertion of plates and bolts into his jaw. In a statement to the court, the boy said the incident continued to affect his day to day life. It also temporarily derailed his studies because they are focused on physical education and he has been told to limit his activity.
McHale was arrested weeks after the attack at an address he and his partner shared on Union Street. When police arrived to arrest him his partner told them she hadn’t seen him for weeks - but officers later found him hiding in a locked cupboard. He admitted robbing and wounding the teen at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this year.
Investigations later revealed that in the minutes before he attacked the teenager he had stolen a phone from a different Liverpool FC fan at the Marriott Hotel - and he was also sentenced for that crime today. The court heard McHale has a long list of convictions including for multiple assaults, a robbery and conspiracy to supply heroin.
Julian Nutter, defending, said McHale believed his abuse of alcohol was at the heart of his violent offending and was determined to address this. He said: “You can see from that letter he is demonstrating remorse and he is also demonstrating a determination to get to the root of his violent behaviour and the root of his violent behaviour is the excessive consumption of alcohol.”
Judge Louise Brandon said McHale’s attack had long lasting impacts for his victims and said she was deeply troubled by his capacity to engage in violence. She said: “It is a particularly disturbing feature of your case that you are prone to spontaneous outbursts of serious violence.”
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 the suspended sentence originally handed to him just before he carried out the attack.
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