A man who punched a woman outside a Portugal beach club, leaving her with two broken eye sockets and a fractured nose, has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Coden Thompson, 23, attacked the woman on July 9, 2023, after she tried to intervene in an argument between him and his girlfriend at the NoSoloAgua beach club in Portimao. The victim had spent time with Thompson and his partner at the club before leaving at around 9pm.
Attack and Aftermath
Prosecutor Ellie-Louise Fradley told Manchester Crown Court that Thompson's partner approached the victim crying, saying that Coden had hit her. In a video, Thompson could be heard in the background calling the women 'sl*gs' and 'fat'.
The victim approached Thompson, saying she was not trying to wind him up but rather get him to calm down. Thompson responded 'who the f*** are you?' and pushed her backwards. A friend of the defendant was in between them, and the defendant then punched her to the face.
The woman's vision 'went black' as she fell to the floor with her nose and eyes bleeding, and Thompson fled. She suffered two broken eye sockets, a fracture to the nose, and lacerations to the eyes. She was taken to hospital via ambulance and visited several hospitals in Portugal and the UK for further treatment, where bruising, scarring and obstructions to the nose were noted.
Identification and Arrest
Thompson was identified from videos circulating on social media, and pictures of the woman's injuries were also posted online. The victim identified him during an identity parade, and Thompson was arrested on June 6, 2024.
In a prepared statement, Thompson told police he was approached by a woman in an 'aggressive manner' outside the club and claimed she 'verbally abused' him. He said: "Before I knew it she was on the floor. I do not know how she got there." He also messaged his mum: "This girl's face is not what I have done at all."
Thompson, from Salford, told a friend: "If it has to get legal I have the advantage, it's clear self-defence." A judge rejected that claim, telling Thompson: "This was an appalling act and a vicious attack."
Sentencing
Thompson, who had no previous convictions, pleaded not guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm. He indicated he would plead guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm the night before the sentencing hearing.
Mitigating, Michael Johnson described the incident as 'shameful' and a 'moment of utter madness'. He said: "His attempts to conceal his culpability are unimpressive. It is hard to say what came over him. It was a hot day, overseas, too much alcohol had been taken. He was behaving irrationally. But to punch a female in her holiday clothes is the lowest of the low."
Recorder Sophie Cartwright KC told Thompson he had left the woman with 'appalling' injuries and that he was 'very, very close' to going to prison. She said: "This was an appalling act and a vicious attack. Clearly something happened between you and [your partner] and you are seen on video pushing her. The victim approached you to try and calm you down. You punched her, causing devastating and life-changing injuries."
Thompson, of Belcroft Drive in Worsley, was handed a 13 month sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a 120-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and £2,500 to the victim in compensation.
