A single punch left a man needing surgery to a broken jaw after he was attacked outside a pub.
The punch to the face by Sam Bagworth made the victim collapse to the ground unconscious during the incident in Carter Gate, Newark.
Bagworth had left a pub in the area and soon after began speaking with the victim. The interaction became heated between the pair and a number of onlookers intervened in the argument.
A marked police car was also in the area at the time, having noticed the disturbance at around 2am on 15 December 2019, and remained there until most of the people around had dispersed.
But as soon as the police car left, the 33-year-old punched the victim in the face, leaving him unconscious for a short time.
People in the area helped the victim to his feet once he regained consciousness, who then headed home. A day later, he was still not feeling well so attended hospital, where an x-ray confirmed that his left jaw had been fractured. He was then transferred to the Queen’s Medical Centre for surgery.
Bagworth, of West Street, Brant Broughton, Lincoln, was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 18 months, after appearing at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 10 February 2021) and pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm without intent. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £600 in compensation, as well as a victim surcharge of £149.
Detective Constable Tim McDonnell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is a stark reminder that one punch can be extremely dangerous, and this incident highlights the trauma that these kind of assaults can inflict on victims.
“Bagworth had involved himself in an argument after being at the local pub for some time, which unnecessarily escalated the situation.
“The punch he delivered caused a man to be left with a broken jaw and knocked him unconscious, which left him feeling ill for a while after.
“Not only this, a police car was in the area beforehand to deal with the disturbance caused prior to this, and it was clear that he took the opportunity to act irrationally and deliver this punch once the officers were out of sight.
“This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and in Nottinghamshire we take such reports extremely seriously.
“It is a testament to officers investigating the case that Bagworth was brought to court and that he will need to complete this work, pay the charges and have this sentence hanging over him for the next year and a half.”
