Unprovoked attack outside Tesco Express - gang jailed

Three men took part in the unprovoked attack which took place outside Tesco Express in Foregate Street.

One of the gang was refused entry to Worcester Crown Court due to being drunk.

Aaron Lamb, 47, of Bromsgrove Street, Kidderminster, was given a lengthy jail sentence while Damien Cowton, 38, of no fixed abode, was able to walk from court after his jail sentence was suspended. 

Richard Davenport, prosecuting, said police had been called to the attack at 7.20pm on Sunday, August 13, last year. 

He said police recovered CCTV, played to the court, which showed Cowton had rained down five kicks on the victim, who was sitting down at the time. 

Another of the gang, Keil Mansfield, 36, of Dart Road, Worcester, had then hit the victim before Lamb hit the victim over the head with a glass bottle. 

PC Richardson approached the victim who suffered a small cut to his left eye and cuts to the head. 

The prosecutor said the victim, who was sleeping rough and known to police, had refused to get medical attention and refused to speak to police so was not supporting their prosecution.

He explained the gang and victim had been known to each other prior to the attack.

Mr Richardson said an aggravating feature of the case was the previous convictions of the defendants who both admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm prior to the case. 

The court heard Cowton had six convictions for 10 offences which included battery, harassment and robbery for which he served jail time. 

JAILED: Aaron Lamb, pictured in 2013 (Image: West Mercia Police)

Lamb had 50 convictions for 141 offences including ABH, possession of a bladed article and three robberies. 

Mr Richardson said by committing the offence Lamb had also breached two suspended jail sentences. 

William Dudley, defending Lamb, said the defendant recognised his life was on a precipice and if he continued to take drugs and offend there was "every likelihood he will put himself in an early grave". 

Mr Dudley said Lamb, who also admitted failing to turn up to a court at an earlier hearing, said the action of hitting the victim over the head over the bottle was "half-hearted" and there was no evidence it caused significant injury. 

COURT: Damien Cowton outside Worcester Crown Court (Image: Sam Greenway/Newsquest)

Laura Coton, defending Cowton, said: "It was clearly a sporadic, impulsive, short-lived incident."

She told the court Cowton was clean of drugs and alcohol and those helping him had shared concerns the progress he had made could be lost if he was jailed. 

Sentencing the pair Her Honour Judge Seanin Gilmore said: "This was a vicious, unprovoked assault targeting a vulnerable victim in a public place."

Judge Gilmore jailed Cowton for four months, suspended for 18 months. The judge ordered Cowton complete 80 hours of unpaid work, nine months of alcohol treatment and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. 

Lamb was jailed for 10 months, the judge saying his sentence could not be suspended.

• Mansfield was due to be sentenced with the rest of the gang on Wednesday afternoon, (January 17). 

But at the start of the hearing his advocate, Belinda Ariss, told the court the defendant had turned up drunk and security guards decided he could not be let into the building due to safety concerns. 

The judge allowed his sentence to be postponed until Thursday morning, (January 18).

When Mansfield returned Judge Gilmore gave him a three-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with a requirement to complete nine months of alcohol treatment.