A 22-year-old man who repeatedly punched and kicked a homeless man in the head in an unprovoked street attack has been given a seven-and-a-half-year extended sentence. Dylan Tapp, of Capel Bangor, Ceredigion, had only recently been released from prison for a previous violent offence when he carried out the assault.
Attack outside WH Smith
Swansea Crown Court heard that in the early hours of June 10, Tapp and another male set upon the complainant outside the WH Smith shop in Terrace Road, Aberystwyth. Tapp repeatedly punched the victim in the head, and when the man fell to the floor, the defendant kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground. At one stage, Tapp pulled the man to his feet only to punch him to the ground again, at which point the victim lost consciousness.
The injured man was taken to Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth complaining of dizziness, and medics found bruising and swelling to his face. The victim, who was living homeless on the streets of the town, reported the assault to Aberystwyth police station on June 13. Police launched an investigation, and it emerged that one of the males at the scene had videoed the attack on a mobile phone.
Previous convictions
Tapp had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent. He has four previous convictions for five offences, including assaults by beating and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2020, and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent in 2024. For the 2024 offence, which involved biting his victim on the face, he was sentenced to 40 months in prison and was out on licence when he attacked the homeless man.
Following his arrest for the WH Smith assault, Tapp was recalled to prison to serve the remainder of the 2024 sentence and is not due to be released until February 2028.
Judge's warning
Stuart John, for Tapp, said it was a "very difficult offence to mitigate" given the "inexplicable and random" nature of the attack and the "extreme violence" used. He said the defendant had problems with alcohol and ketamine misuse but had initially been doing well on licence before things "unravelled quickly," and that Tapp felt the help he was given following his release was "inadequate."
Judge Paul Thomas KC said Tapp had brutally attacked a homeless man living on the streets and that the simple fact was he could have killed his victim. Noting Tapp had now amassed four convictions for violence at the age of 22, the judge told him: "You have got an awful lot of growing up to do. Whether you do that at liberty or in a prison is a matter for you."
The judge said he was satisfied the defendant should be classed as a dangerous offender and made subject to an extended sentence, saying: "My prime concern has to be the safety of the public." With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea, Tapp was made subject to a seven-and-a-half-year extended sentence comprising four and a half years in custody followed by a three-year licence period. He will become eligible for release after serving two-thirds of the custodial element, but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out. The judge said the new sentence would start immediately and could not be consecutive to the one Tapp is currently serving.
