A thug who threatened to kill a vulnerable man before stamping on him with his prosthetic leg has been jailed for life. Shannon Meaney, 34, approached 57-year-old John Lowe in Clarendon Park, Salford, on 14 February 2023, and shouted: 'I'm going to do him in' before launching the assault.
Meaney grabbed Mr Lowe in a headlock, threw him to the ground, and violently kicked and stamped on him, using his false leg to inflict blows. He later asked a passer-by for a hammer from his bag, but the man pretended not to see it. Meaney then told Mr Lowe: 'Go to sleep, you c***.' The victim was found dumped at the side of a path, struggling to breathe.
Mr Lowe suffered a traumatic brain injury and now requires 24/7 care in a residential nursing home. In a statement read to Manchester Crown Court, his daughter said her father had been 'the local cheeky chappy' with no health issues before the attack, but now 'he cannot talk, eat, sleep, or get dressed without help' and has 'zero quality of life'.
Meaney, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent. The Recorder of Manchester, Judge Nicholas Dean KC, sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 and a half years, saying he had condemned Mr Lowe to 'a living death'.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson of Greater Manchester Police commended the victim's family for their bravery, adding: 'We were determined to ensure Meaney faces the consequences of his actions.'
