Annesley man fractured woman’s skull while on bail for injuring another victim

An Annesley man who fractured a woman's skull and left her with brain injuries had seriously injured a man by stamping on his head only six weeks earlier.
The case was heard at Nottingham Crown Court.The case was heard at Nottingham Crown Court.
The case was heard at Nottingham Crown Court.

Gareth Davis was seen by an off-duty police officer as he punched the woman on the jaw, on Eastfield Side, Sutton, at 3.30pm, on March 30 last year, Nottingham Crown Court was told.

She fell to the ground and hit her head on the ground with a "loud thud" and he walked off "without any concern for her welfare."

She later spent 12 days in hospital with "horrific head pain," after sustaining a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

Prosecutor James Bide-Thomas said Davis's partner invited a man to Davis's home just after 5am, on February 13.

Davis, aged 41, "didn't pause to ask questions" before punching him several times in the face, and stamping on his head.

He was left with severe facial injuries and was treated in hospital for bleeding in, and on, the brain, two fractured ribs, and lacerations on his forehead.

The court heard he lost his job as a doorman, but has since recovered, aside from minor scarring.

His female victim complained of memory problems, migraines and depression, Mr Bide-Thomas said, but the prosecution couldn’t obtain an update on her condition, because she refused to co-operate with police.

He has 19 previous convictions for 42 offences, including numerous assaults, and served a 36-month sentence for robbery

Simon Eckersley, mitigating, said the defendant has mental health issues, including a personality disorder and social anxiety, and was "unstable" at the time because he hadn't been taking his medication. He said Davis had been worried about his parents' health, and they both died while he was in custody.

"He is embarrassed and ashamed about what he did," said Mr Eckersley. "He is devastated because he was unable to attend their funerals."

He said Davis has been in custody for 11 months and used his time well, by making Christmas decorations in the textile shop.

Davis, of Byron Road, Annesley, pleaded guilty to two counts of inflicting serious bodily harm.

On Friday, Judge Julie Warburton sentenced him to a total of 30 months in prison and told him: "These were unprovoked attacks that ended with very serious injuries."