Kenneth Pugh, 42, punched 64-year-old Peter Martin in the face during an argument outside his home in Wayville Close, Mossley Hill, on September 10 last year. The single punch caused a severe brain bleed that left Mr Martin wheelchair-bound and forced him to give up his job.
The incident began when Mr Martin and his wife returned home to find Pugh's Amazon delivery van parked across their driveway. Mrs Martin gestured that they wanted to park, and Pugh appeared agitated as he threw packages back into his van and drove off at excessive speed, narrowly missing the Martins' car.
Attack and Injury
Prosecutor Sarah Holt told Liverpool Crown Court on October 29 that Mr Martin remonstrated with Pugh from his vehicle, shouting towards him. Pugh stopped his van, opened the door and shouted 'what did you say?', and the situation escalated. The two men were face to face in the road, with shouting on both sides.
Mrs Martin asked her husband to go back towards the house, and as he did, Pugh punched him once towards the face. The blow knocked him straight onto the road, and his head 'bounced' on the pavement. Mr Martin was initially unresponsive, with blood coming out of his mouth and a large swelling on the back of his head. He regained consciousness but appeared confused and did not know what had happened.
He was initially directed to Royal Liverpool Hospital, but his condition deteriorated in the ambulance, and he was diverted to the trauma centre at Aintree University Hospital. Ms Holt said: "In fact, he had suffered a severe, life changing injury. There was bleeding to his brain, a fracture to his skull, bruises to the back of his head, and he deteriorated even further to the point that he had to be placed on a ventilator in intensive care."
Long-Term Consequences
Mr Martin required prolonged rehabilitation, and some consequences have been permanent. He has been unable to drive since the incident and must use an electric wheelchair for anything more than a short walk, leaving him feeling "imprisoned in his own house". Formerly a workshop technician at a college, he was forced to give up his job just a few months before retirement. His wife, who had worked at a college for more than 40 years, had to give up her job to look after him.
After punching Mr Martin, Pugh initially drove off but briefly returned before being told to leave by a neighbour. He was arrested later that day and told police: "All I've done is I've done that and I've gone to see my kids. Obviously I've s*** myself." An examination of his phone found five voice notes showing him becoming increasingly frustrated at the workload that day, the number of packages he had to deliver, and the places he had to deliver to. In the last note, recorded about an hour before the attack, Pugh said: "I'm not a**ed what you say, this run has been put together by you. I'm not f****** stupid. I've had over 200 stops over three areas... It's a f****** joke."
Sentencing
Pugh, of Meredith Street, Garston, pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm. He had nine previous convictions for 27 offences, the latest being in 2011. His defence counsel, Jo Maxwell, submitted three character references from the mothers of Pugh's children. A statement from Pugh read: "At the time in the street I was concerned about the situation and in my mind I did think Mr Martin was going to hit me, however I accept I had other options than to punch him. I should have walked away. I'm truly sorry for my actions and I regret what I have done."
Ms Maxwell said Pugh wished he could turn back time and undo what had been done, and that he was a very different man now. She noted that out of 27 offences, only one was for violence, at the lowest level back in 1998. She said Pugh had four children aged 12, 11, eight and six, and that there had been no offending since the assault in 2025. She said he had been assessed as posing a low risk of reoffending.
Mr Recorder Michael Armstrong said the victim had been in an induced coma and that the mitigation clearly outweighed the aggravating factors. He sentenced Pugh to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a 12-month mental health treatment requirement, a probation requirement, and a six-month curfew. He said: "What's done can't be undone. It's difficult for me to say how justice can be served by sending you to immediate custody in this case. Prison will not turn back the clock for you nor the Martins."
