Wakefield thug ‘nearly blinded’ man with single punch in Leeds bar

Connar Fogarty was caught on CCTV hitting the reveller in the Roxy Ball Room leaving him with a torn eyeball and a damaged retina which required surgery under general anaesthetic.

Leeds Crown Court was told that the man could have lost sight in his eye without medical intervention.

Prosecutor David Mackay said the victim was seen to approach Fogarty’s group of friends in the games bar and speak with them on the night of September 6, 2019.

Fogarty is then seen approaching the man and speaking to him, before being pushed away by the man. Mr Mackay said the man could be seen holding his hands up as Fogarty beckons him to “go outside” the Boar Lane bar to fight.

Fogarty then ran forward and punched the man to the face, then tried to punch him again as the man fell backwards. The complainant said he could not remember the incident but went to hospital the next day because his vision was affected.

He said it later delayed him starting a new job and moving house. Fogarty, of Haselden Road, Wakefield, was detained outside the bar and said he was sorry, but only threw a single punch.

He was found with a bag of cocaine on him and admitted taking it that night. He was cautioned for drug possession and was charged with Section 20 wounding, to which he pleaded guilty.

A basis of plea, that he was acting in excessive self defence, was rejected by the Crown. Little mitigation was offered by his barrister Anthony Sugare after Judge Christopher Batty said he would not lock Fogarty up, but give him a suspended sentence instead.

However, Mr Sugare argued that it should be downgraded to a community order because he said the footage showed the victim being held back by his friends as Fogarty remonstrated with him.

Judge Batty went ahead with his original decision, giving him 20 weeks’ jail, suspended for 12 months, ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 compensation to the victim.