Jailed for stamping on man's head

Brendan Callan, of Bond’s Hill, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm on September 17, 2014.

Derry Crown Court heard the injured party remembered nothing about the incident until he woke up in Altnagelvin Hospital with serious injuries.

The court was told Callan, a female and the injured party were in a lane way.

The defendant was holding a bottle of vodka at a time.

Witnesses saw the man fall on two occasions, banging his head off a tree and a wall.

He got back on his feet both times.

An eye witness came to move the people out of the lane way.

As he assisted the female, he heard ‘four hard thuds’ and saw Callan stamping on the injured party’s head once.

Callan came ‘aggressively’ toward the witness who struck him once.

The victim was unconscious and was gurgling.

The court was told he was in ‘a bad way’ and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

He had swelling to the back of his head and to his eyes.

Callan was arrested a short distance away from the scene and had a cut on his face.

His clothes were seized and the victim’s blood was found on his tracksuit bottoms and his trainers.

During police interview, the defendant said he could not remember anything about the night in question because of the amount of alcohol consumed.

Defence barrister Stephen Chapman said his client had always been prepared to plead to the lesser charge.

He said that all involved were ‘heavily intoxicated.’

Judge Gemma Loughran said that the fact that Callan was drunk was no defence as, ‘You are responsible for what you do drunk, as you are sober.’