Thug jailed over 'ferocious' stamping attack in residential garden

CCTV captured the moment Joseph Sharp attacked the man on the driveway of a house, flooring him with a punch before kicking him and then holding onto the garden fence as he stamped on the victim's head "at least five or six times".

The victim lost consciousness and was rushed to Pinderfields by ambulance where a scan showed that he suffered a subdural bleed, along with a footprint-shaped bruise to his head and bruises to his chest.

Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Mehran Nassiri said that the victim had gone to a friend's house in Featherstone at around 3pm on June 25 last year and was walking through the garden gate when Sharp, who could be seen sat on the fence outside the property, turned and suddenly attacked the man.

People tried to intervene as Sharp continued kicking him and then stamping on him.

Sharp, 25, was arrested but gave a 'no comment' interview.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

An impact statement was read to the court in which said the victim continues to suffer blurred vision and dizzy spells.

A probation report suggested that Sharp had been drinking heavily that day and had gone to his partner's house to speak with her.

Sharp had been angered about comments exchanged between his partner and the victim about each others' tans, and thought the man had made a reference to her breasts.

Mitigating, Maryam Ahmad said that Sharp lost control because he was intoxicated, and he recognised that he had a problem with alcohol.

He also accepted that he was wrong about the supposed lewd comment that was made.

She added: "He was in a heightened emotional state at the time. It's a very serious incident but it was over a relatively short duration.

"He is very sorry and remorseful."

Sharp, who has five previous convictions, including battery in 2012, had since been attacked last month by a man with a machete in revenge to the assault in Featherstone

She said that Sharp, whose address was given to the court as Dunbar Street, Wakefield, had since moved to Pontefract to live with his sister.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC jailed Sharp for three years and told him: "Although it was a relatively short attack, it was ferocious.

"You stamped on his five or six times at least. You could have killed him.

"An inappropriate comment is no justification or excuse for what you did."