A hammer-wielding man who used the tool during a violent joint attack on a man inside his own north Cumbria home has been jailed.
Carlisle Crown Court heard today how a three-strong gang arrived in a vehicle at the remote property in the Brampton area just after midnight on September 13 last year.
Thirty-year-old Daniel Frank Little believed his sister, who was at the address to collect belongings after the break-up of her relationship with the male householder, was in danger.
Car doors were heard slamming as the trio left their vehicle before an internal door leading into the house was smashed open, CCTV capturing their arrival.
Nineteen-year-old Peter William Devers, along with Little and his partner, Diane Sylvia Jardine, aged 33, all then threw punches as they launched a joint attack on the householder as he tried to protect himself.
Having brought a hammer to the scene, shirtless Little used it to hit the man on the back, leaving an imprint of the tool on his skin. After Little’s parents desperately tried to intervene, the attack ended but Little then damaged a quad bike as he left.
The man later attended hospital having sustained bruising, swelling and soreness. In a statement, he believed it had been a “calculated assault”.
“I was scared about what was going to happen, especially when they forced open the door leading to my house,” he stated. The man was left anxious about how he was going to keep himself safe, thought the trio had “showed they were dangerous” and believed “it could have ended up so much worse”.
Little, of Smithfield, near Kirklinton; Devers, of Sandysike, Longtown; and Jardine, of Graham Street, Longtown; all admitted affray. None had any previous convictions to their name.
Mark Shepherd, for Devers, said the priority had been to remove the Little’s sister from the house on the night, but conceded: “The level of force used was excessive and completely unacceptable.”
Judge Nicholas Barker observed there had been “arguments and heightened emotions” leading up to the trio’s visit. He told Little he had taken the “lead role” and told him of the victim: “It is a matter of great fortune for him — but by consequence for you — that he did not suffer greater injuries.”
Judge Barker added: “There was, in my judgement, serious fear and distress caused.”
He jailed Little for 12 months. Devers and Jardine both had nine-month custodial terms suspended and must compete rehabilitation. In addition, Devers received a three-month nighttime curfew and 180 hours’ unpaid work.
