A convicted killer has been jailed again for attacking two people in their own home as they tried to help an injured woman seen with him on the street.
Carlisle Crown Court heard today how a man and woman intervened after seeing a woman walking with 42-year-old Daniel Morton on February 22 in Workington.
She had blood on her face and was repeatedly asking for police to be called.
They were concerned for the safety of the woman and invited her to their nearby address.
The three went inside but before they had a chance to close the front door, Morton put his arms through and prevented it from being shut.
As attempts were made to call police, Morton punched the man to the head, pulled a hood over his face and continued to deliver blows as he tried to protect himself.
Morton then punched the woman to her head, eye and arm. Morton also pulled her hair, causing a clump to be yanked out, and then punched the man again as he tried to intervene.
In a statement, the woman had spoken of the huge impact on her mental and physical health.
The man had also described a profound effect, of feeling extremely anxious, and he stated: “This incident has made me think twice about interfering and helping someone in the future due to confrontation and the potential of being assaulted.”
When interviewed, Morton, of Stanley Street, Workington, had tried to claim the woman pushed him against a wall. He admitted charges of actual bodily harm and common assault, and was sentenced by Judge Richard Archer, who heard Morton’s previous 38 offences included manslaughter.
That conviction dated to 2002 after he killed another man in a Whitehaven seafront brawl, fracturing his skull by throwing a large stone.
He received a five-year prison term for that offence and although there was a 10-year gap in his offending, more recently he had other convictions for violence.
Judge Archer, who also learned of Morton’s recent alcohol and cocaine use, jailed him for 17 months. “I am satisfied you are a violent man,” said the judge. “I am very worried about you and the risk that you pose to the public.”
Of the assault victims, Judge Archer also said: “They were performing a public service. They were being kind to (the woman). They saw she needed help. They didn’t need to help her. They could have carried on with their life.
“They didn’t do so, and you caused them pain and you hurt them.”
