A man jailed for manslaughter in 2007 was back in court this week for assaulting two men and dealing drugs.
Denton Moneypenny, aged 37, found himself back in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to three offences.
Controlled drugs were found after a warrant was executed at an address in Nottingham in March 2018.
On Christmas Eve the same year, he assaulted a man during an altercation inside a pub in Attenborough.
And in November 2019 he broke a man’s jaw following an argument inside Nottingham’s Pryzm nightclub.
All three matters were heading for trial before Moneypenny finally admitted his guilt earlier this year, with his sentencing hearing taking place on Wednesday (June 26).
The court heard Moneypenny had a history of criminal behaviour. In 2007, he was jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of a 42-year-old father, who he assaulted outside a shop in Chilwell.
Following his release from prison, he failed to stay out of trouble and frequently found himself before the courts for offences including GBH, criminal damage and drink-driving.
Summarising the latest offences that have landed him before the courts, prosecutors said a Misuse of Drugs Act warrant was executed by Nottinghamshire Police at Moneypenny’s home on 7 March 2018.
Officers found almost 20g of cannabis along with £3,220 in cash and mobile phones that had messages on them which suggested that he was involved in the supply of drugs.
Following his arrest, Moneypenny refused to comment and he was released under investigation while further inquiries were carried out.
Later that year, on Christmas Eve, he assaulted a man who challenged him about comments he made to his partner. The attack inside the Blue Bell pub in Attenborough left the victim with a deep cut to the left of his eye, which required seven stitches at Queen’s Medical Centre.
Officers attend the incident at the Blue Bell pub in Attenborough on Christmas Eve 2018
The third offence happened in the early hours of 24 November 2019. The court heard Moneypenny retaliated to another man’s aggression by dragging him to the floor and stamping on his head, causing a double fracture of the jaw.
Moneypenny pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis, assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was handed a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to attend 25 rehabilitation sessions. He must also pay £750 compensation to the victim of the Pryzm nightclub incident.
The judge told Moneypenny that lengthy delays in bringing the case to court meant he was prepared to suspend the custodial sentence – but warned him this was his last chance to avoid going back to prison.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Ruth Towle, who investigated the Pryzm nightclub assault, said:
“There is no excuse whatsoever for the way Moneypenny behaved in these incidents.
“Having served a prison sentence for the manslaughter of a man he assaulted in 2007, it beggars belief he has gone on to commit further violent offences.
“Likewise, there is no excuse for dealing drugs. Drugs blight our communities and ruin people’s lives which is why we are working tirelessly to target and disrupt offenders involved in their illegal supply.
“I am pleased the case has now been finalised in court and hope this enables the victims to finally move on from their ordeals.”
