Paranoid drinker attacked man in city-centre pub toilet

Steven Fall thought he overheard the man talking about him so followed him into the gents of The Griffin.

Prosecutor at Leeds Crown Court, Jessica Heggie, said that the 53-year-old and the victim knew each other and were both in the Union Street pub on the afternoon of November 3, 2020.

The victim was sat with a friend telling him a story when Fall, who was sitting nearby, became paranoid and thought the man was talking about him.

He told the man "I heard what you said about me", to which the man denied saying anything.

Around 45 minutes later, Fall followed the man into the toilet and began hitting him repeatedly and headbutted "about four or five times" until there was blood pouring down his face. He may also have struck him with his walking stick.

The man suffered bruising to his eye and a large cut to his forehead that needed stitches.

After staff called the police, Fall kept saying "he deserved it", but then denied the assault during questioning.

It was only on the day he was due to stand trial, did Fall, of Sycamore Grove, Wakefield, finally admit causing actual bodily harm.

The court was told he has two previous convictions for actual bodily harm in 2016 and battery in 2018.

In mitigation, James Littlehales said that Fall has mobility issues, uses a walking stick or sometimes a wheelchair, and has stayed out of trouble since that day.

He said: "It was over a short period of time, and clearly was an impulsive and spontaneous assault, but he knows he is close to the doors of custody and has come prepared."

The judge, Recorder Simon Jackson QC said it was "nasty incident" and added: "What is troubling is your previous convictions.

"You were in drink and rightly and wrongly you believed he made disparaging remarks. You lost self control and reverted to the type of conduct from your previous convictions."

He jailed him for nine months, suspended for 24 months, ordered him to take part in a nine-month alcohol treatment programme and pay the victim £1,000 compensation.

He also said he should pay £500 costs because he only admitted his guilt on the day his trial was due to start.