A man who struck his neighbour over the head with a hammer, damaging his skull, has been jailed for six years with an extended four-year licence period.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Leighton Francis had been living in one of six flats above the Carwyn James pub in Station Road, Llanelli, in March of this year when the incident happened. It was heard how Francis would make “significant noise” and his next door neighbour, Nicholas Jenkins, had shouted “shut up” through the wall, directed at Francis.
Violent attack after noise complaint
Prosecution barrister Georgia Donoghue, delivering the facts of the case, explained how after the incident, the pair later encountered one another within a communal area of the property on March 15 and Francis, armed with a hammer, asked him: “Have you got a problem with me?” Mr Jenkins asked him to keep the noise down at which point Francis stormed toward him and struck him to the head and body with a hammer multiple times. He fell to the floor and Francis stood over him, continuing to strike him to body and head, the court heard.
After Francis left the address another resident assisted Mr Jenkins, who was bleeding significantly, with a pool of blood coming from his head. Paramedics attended the scene and he was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff to receive treatment. A CT scan found he had suffered a fracture to the left side of his skull, which had pushed bone inward, with bruising and bleeding to his brain, fluid within his abdominal cavity and bleeding from his spleen, and a tear to the membrane.
Victim impact and sentencing
A victim personal statement, read out on behalf of Mr Jenkins, detailed how the attack “affected him mentally and physically”. He wrote: “I will always be looking over my shoulder from now on. It plays in my mind over and over. Because of what the defendant did to me I had to undergo surgery. I have constant headaches and I am reliant on pain medication. My right arm is still numb and I can just about hold a fork to feed myself. I don't know why he felt the need to use a hammer or assault me in the first place. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and I am having nightmares from this incident.”
Francis, of Station Road, Llanelli, appeared at Swansea Crown Court via Swansea prison videolink for sentencing having pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. It was heard how Francis has 15 previous convictions for 34 offences. Ian Ibrahim, mitigating, said: “He is remorseful and has asked me to express that to the court and the complainant. He is 51 with an unattractive record. This is his most serious offence by some considerable margin.”
Sentencing Francis, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “You armed yourself with a hammer and waited for him. When he appeared you charged at him and viciously assaulted him, hitting him multiple times with a hammer, and hitting him whilst on the floor. It was a quite brutal attack. He was left with blood pouring from his head and, such was the severity of his injuries, he was taken 60 miles to a more specialist hospital in Cardiff. There, he was found to have a compressed left side skull fracture, with the bone of his skull pushed inwards by hammer blows landed on his head. The bleeding to his brain and subsequent emergency operation showed he had bony fragments pushed into brain which had to be removed by drill. The result of these horrific injuries that you caused have left him with serious consequences, physically and psychologically.”
Francis was jailed for six years with an extended period of four years on licence.
