A man who kicked, stamped on and repeatedly punched a farmworker in a west Cumbria field has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Gordon Thomas Miller, 47, was angry and in drink when he rode by quad bike to a farm near Lamplugh late on August 9.
Carlisle Crown Court heard he did so because of a perceived grievance with Kurt Hewitson, his daughter’s on-off partner.
Mr Hewitson saw Miller waiting, got out of his tractor, tried to avoid him and said he didn’t want a fight. But Miller responded by punching Mr Hewitson, and continued to deliver blows after he fell to the ground.
As Mr Hewitson tried to move away, Miller began hitting him in the ribs before stamping on and kicking his back. “The complainant was coughing blood and left on the ground while the defendant left the field on his quad bike,” said prosecutor Kim Whittlestone.
As the men met briefly again in the farm yard, Miller asked: “Are you going to fight me or not?” Mr Hewitson drove himself to hospital and had so much swelling to his face that both eyes eventually closed.
He sustained facial fractures and broken ribs, remained in hospital overnight so he would be assessed by a surgeon and was off work for four weeks. In an impact statement, Mr Hewitson said: “I feel that this was a premeditated attack and he has targeted me.”
In the immediate aftermath, Miller was heard by a farmer saying he had given Mr Hewitson a “good hiding” and that he “guaranteed” he wouldn’t be at work the next day. The farmer also saw blood on the seat, steering wheel and radio of the tractor the victim had been driving.
Miller, of Scallow Farm, near Lamplugh, told police he punched Mr Hewitson repeatedly and kicked him in the back, saying “it all got out of hand”. Miller later pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.
Judge Nicholas Barker suspended a 10-month jail term for two years after taking into account Miller’s admissions, an absence of previous convictions and concluding there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
Miller must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement, 180 hours’ unpaid work and pay Mr Hewitson £3,600 compensation. He was also banned from contacting him for two years. “This was an unpleasant and violent assault,” said Judge Barker.
