A man launched a brick at a 15-year-old boy's head before brutally assaulting him as he lay unconscious on the ground. Anthony, 41, was chasing after the boy on his bike and lobbed a brick at him "from close range and with force."
The teen then lost consciousness, with the offender stamping and kicking him as he lay helpless on the pavement, Teesside Crown Court heard. The attack, which took place in Middlesborough on the evening of June 1, 2022, was captured on CCTV.
According to Teesside Live, footage showed Mcloughlin, wearing a grey tracksuit, speeding off on his bike afterwards. Prosecutor Emma Atkinson said the victim suffered multiple injuries including cuts to the back of his head and his forehead, bruising to his head, sore ribs and bruised hands and knuckles.
In a statement, the victim said the pain in his jaw prevented him from eating solid food for weeks after the attack, leaving him living off milkshakes. The teenager also said that he is scared to leave his house since being attacked; and is now cautious of socialising with people and worries about who he walks past in the street.
He sais: "I feel like a recluse - I don't leave my room. I've lost weight that I could not afford to lose. It is mental torture, constantly going over what happened in my mind."
Ms Atkinson said that Mcloughlin came out of his home after his windows were smashed with bricks, at around 8pm. He thought he was chasing the person responsible - but the boy he attacked had had nothing to do with the damage to his windows.
The court heard that a group of girls were armed with bricks and carried out the damage to his house.
Mcloughlin, of Carlow Street in central Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, and to breaching a court order. The court heard that he has a long history of offending - 63 convictions for 142 offences.
Mcloughlin's previous convictions include assault occasioning actual bodily harm; robbery; supplying drugs; assaulting a police officer and a wounding offence, where he repeatedly hit his victim with a metal bar. In May of last year, Mcloughlin was handed a suspended sentence for racially aggravated common assault. He breached this sentence when he attacked the boy weeks later on June 1.
Rod Hunt, defending, said that his client had been given the family home by his dad; that his home means a lot to him and that when his windows were smashed with bricks, "...he set off in pursuit of who he thought had done this.
"He seized a brick. He admits that he lost his temper. In the cold light of day, he wishes to apologise for his actions.
"He doesn't know why his windows were smashed. It is bewildering. He didn't know his victim was 15 - he was horrified when he learned that.
"In short, it was a horrible attack. The defendant is ashamed. He was extremely angry and upset because his family home had been attacked."
Turning to Mcloughlin, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Durham, Judge Timothy Stead said: "You pursued a male on your bike- but he was not responsible for smashing your windows. You had armed yourself with a piece of brick.
"As good fortune has it, great harm or death was not caused. But having rendered the boy unconscious you didn't stop. He was on the ground and you kicked and stomped on his head.
"You threw the brick at close range and with force. It is remarkable that the injuries were not worse."
The judge jailed Mcloughlin for four years and made him subject to a restraining order, prohibiting him from communicating with, or approaching, his victim.
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