A York teenager had his jaw broken after being set upon by up to 30 youths in a street mob attack.
The victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, went to meet what he expected to be three or four youths for a pre-arranged fight, York Crown Court heard.
But when he arrived at the scene behind a restaurant in York city centre, he was met by a mob of 20 to 30 young men, said prosecutor Alex Menary.
Among the group was Robert Fitch, 18, from York, and another youth who cannot be named for legal reasons who were later arrested on suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Mr Menary said the victim, who had gone for the fight after receiving abusive text messages from an “acquaintance”, was initially confronted by the youth he had arranged to fight.
They “exchanged blows for a few minutes until they tired and backed away from each other”, added Mr Menary.
The two youths shook hands but then Fitch lunged at the victim and struck him in the face. They too began trading blows.
The victim then backed away, but then, “without warning”, the youth who can’t be named walked up to the victim and threw a “full-force blow” to his face which caused a “horrible pain”.
“(The victim) was then attacked by almost all of the group who knocked him to the floor,” said Mr Menary.
Some of those present recorded the harrowing incident on their phones. The footage showed the victim lying on the ground for a “matter of seconds” before the group broke up and ran away.
Unbearable pain
The victim was taken to hospital with a broken jaw and a bloody nose. He had to undergo surgery to have metal plates inserted into his lower jawbone.
Fitch and the youth were identified from the mobile-phone footage and arrested, but the youth initially denied being at the scene and Fitch initially denied any involvement in the incident, which occurred in December 2020.
However, they both ultimately admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and appeared for sentence today.
In a statement read out in court, the victim said he had suffered pain and numbness in his jaw since the attack in December 2020, nearly two years ago. He had been told by a consultant that the pain, which at times was “unbearable”, could last a lifetime.
He had to stop playing sport due to his injury and now “dreads” going out in the evening. His mental health had been affected and he had trouble sleeping. His work had also been affected.
“He doesn’t go out now and doesn’t do the normal things he used to prior to the incident,” said Mr Menary.
His confidence had been “severely” affected and he was now wary of “large groups in town”.
Saved from jail
The court heard that Fitch and the youth had never been in trouble before and their defence counsel were spared the need for mitigation when Recorder Mark McKone KC said he would not be sending them to prison despite the victim suffering a “very serious broken jaw”.
He told the defendants: “In many ways, you both deserve to go to custody for this serious offence but there are a number of reasons that I’m not sending you to custody today.”
The judge cited the defendants’ guilty pleas, their lack of previous convictions, the delay in the case reaching court and the fact that they were both under 18 at the time of the offence as the reasons he could steer away from a jail sentence.
Fitch, of Giles Avenue, York, was given a two-year community order and a six-month doorstep curfew which prevents him leaving his home between 7pm and 6am daily. He was also ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation programme.
The youth was given a two-year youth-rehabilitation and supervision order. He was also ordered to attend two rehabilitation programmes totalling 16 sessions and he too was placed on a nightly doorstep curfew.
Both defendants were made subject to a five-year restraining order banning them from contacting the victim or making any reference to him on social media. They were each ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
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