Outlining the case in the Magistrate’s Court, Centenier Danny Scaife said that Jake Doney (24), of Mont Nicolle, St Brelade, approached a group of men sitting on couches in the Horse and Hounds bar late on Saturday night and asked if any of them had ‘coke’.
One of the men responded by saying: ‘If you want some Coke, go to the bar as they have it on tap.’
Doney initially moved away toward the bar but then moved back towards the group. When he was about half a metre away from the sitting victim, Doney kicked the man in the face/neck area. The victim grabbed hold of Doney’s leg to stop him kicking out but the defendant threw four or five punches to his head before others managed to pull him away, said the Centenier.
The court heard that Doney was arrested shortly afterwards walking near the Silver Springs care home.
When questioned by police, the defendant said that he had been drinking for about five hours before the incident at 10.30 pm. He told officers he had drunk about eight pints and had a vague recollection of kicking someone in the head.
The Centenier said that there were no injuries to the victim and the punches thrown were not excessively hard.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, said that her client was a first-time offender who was very remorseful. She said that if he knew the victim, he would apologise to him. She said that he pleaded guilty to assault on the basis of what he saw on the CCTV as he could not recall the incident.
Advocate Dale added that the defendant recognised the behaviour stemmed from his drinking and he wanted to address his alcohol issues.
In sentencing, Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz said: ‘It is totally unacceptable to treat a stranger in the pub in this way and you were lucky that there were no serious injuries.’
