In court
Drunk man's terrifying attack on girlfriend's dad

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A DRUNK Rugby man carried out a sustained attack on his partner’s father, breaking the older man’s nose and two fingers, in front of his terrified children.

Peter Hall carried out his booze-fuelled attack after he and his partner had got back from a night out drinking while his victim had been babysitting for them.

But Hall narrowly escaped being jailed after pleading guilty at Warwick Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm on 56-year-old Keith Wells.

Instead Hall, 30, of Newbold Footpath, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for a year and ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work, take part in an alcohol programme and pay £1,000 compensation to Mr Wells.

Prosecutor Michelle Heeley said that in September 2010 Hall went out with his partner Kelly Wells while her father Keith Wells babysat for their two children.

By the time they returned at three in the morning Hall had consumed ‘a great deal of alcohol’ and was extremely drunk.

The couple went upstairs where they began to argue, and when a concerned Mr Wells went to the bottom of the stairs he saw a knife, so picked it up and threw into the living room.

At that point Hall appeared at the top of the stairs, and came down. He grabbed Mr Wells by his fingers, breaking his ring and little fingers, and then began to punch and kick him in what Miss Heeley described as ‘a frenzied attack.’

Mr Wells lost consciousness, but when he came round he was still being punched and kicked by Hall, before he managed to get to his feet and escape from the house.

Neighbours who had been disturbed by the incident went into the house and saw Hall’s two young children – one of them standing at the top of the stairs screaming, and the other hiding under a duvet.

So the concerned neighbours took the terrified children back to their home for safe-keeping.

When the police arrived and arrested Hall he admitted what had happened, saying Mr Wells had become involved in the argument between him and his partner, so he had given him ‘a slap’ in self-defence.

Miss Heeley said that as a result of the attack Mr Wells had two broken fingers, multiple fractures to his nose and swelling to his eye socket.

She added Hall, who expressed remorse throughout his interview, had previous convictions for offences including affray and common assault.

Nicholas Aldridge, defending, said Hall had seen Mr Wells with a knife, and as a result had acted in self-defence.