Pair jailed for 12 years after West Bromwich attack
Two men who beat a fellow pub-goer over a grudge, including biting and glassing his face, have been sentenced to more than 12 years behind bars between them.
Andrew Wright and Simon Hill were each jailed for six years and three months for attacking Andrew Bell in The Goose, in West Bromwich High Street, last October.
The victim needed seven stitches to a gash under his right eye after being bitten on the cheek by Hill, then struck in the face with a glass that Hill smashed on the table before jabbing into him.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard on Friday how Wright and Bell had been friends for 18 years, but fell out because Wright believed Bell stole £50 from the wallet of his disabled son when staying at his home.
Ms Rhiannon Jones, prosecuting, said tensions surfaced when Wright spotted Bell sitting in the pub. He went over to slap his face and tell him to leave.
But she said as Bell approached the doors to go he was punched in the face by a third man, who has already received 12 months' supervision for the part he played in the incident.
In CCTV footage shown in court Bell was seen to stumble from that blow back towards Hill, of Holland Road, Hamstead, who grabbed his face and bit into his cheek by the bar.
Wright, of Powis Avenue, Tipton, then punched Bell several times before Hill hit Bell's face into a table near to the bar, then smashed a glass and pushed it into Bell's face.
As the victim was on the floor, both defendants stamped on him. Ms Jones added: "Bell has given a personal statement describing not wanting to go out so much now and being concerned about more problems with the defendants."
Mr Bernard Porter, defending Wright,aged 49, said he had drunk alcohol and took medication which affected his mood.
Mr Akaal Sidhu, defending Hill, aged 25, said his actions were not planned.
