A violent offender who savagely assaulted a Preston resident during a dispute concerning drugs has been handed a six-year prison sentence. Levi Wilson, 33, subjected his victim to repeated punches to the face at the man's Ingol residence on Halloween.
Attack caught on CCTV
Preston Crown Court was told Wilson arrived at the man's first floor flat brandishing a knife, making demands for 'money or weed'. Security footage from outside the property recorded Wilson making threatening remarks and shouting: "I'm a big man", reports Lancs Live.
While the victim succeeded in wrestling the knife away from Wilson, the assailant proceeded to unleash a barrage of strikes to his face. Moments later, CCTV showed the man emerging from his flat with severe facial injuries and bleeding heavily. The court was told he was vomiting and drenched in blood.
Victim's injuries and impact
The man's sister accompanied him to hospital the next day and notified authorities of the assault. The court learned he required an overnight hospital stay and now experiences impaired vision in one eye, facial numbness, permanent scarring and required metal plates to be surgically implanted in his cheekbone.
He sustained numerous facial fractures and subsequently received a PTSD diagnosis. Through a victim impact statement, he described how the assault had stopped him from working and caused financial hardship. His bond with his children suffered as he wished to shield them from seeing his wounds, while their mother harboured concerns about their wellbeing.
He now disguises his face when venturing outside the flat to hide his identity, he stated. The victim refused to cooperate with police and failed to appear in court on the day Wilson was due to face trial.
Sentence and judge's remarks
Despite this, Wilson, of Sylvancroft, Ingol, entered a guilty plea to wounding with intent and was returned to prison, having been on licence following a 10-year sentence for drug dealing, the court was told.
Passing sentence, Judge Darren Preston said: "Your victim, on the afternoon of October 31 last year was involved with you and perhaps even a third party in some sort of drug deal - the terms of which it seems you didn't like and you became aggressive."
"You deliberately armed yourself and went round to his flat. There was an immediate altercation in which you were shouting abuse, threats and you were a big man. You armed yourself with a knife, the actions of a coward - not a big man. Your victim was left vomiting, disfigured, bloodied and battered. When arrested you told lies to protect yourself."
"He required surgery to fix his face, he has constant pain and loss of vision, not surprisingly he has PTSD. Every day of his life is affected by what you did to him."
While the judge acknowledged that Wilson had been a devoted and present father in recent years, he noted that Wilson had served considerable time behind bars and had tested positive for cocaine while on licence. Wilson was handed a sentence of six years and nine months.
