Darlington thugs left man in pool of his own blood

Ellisha McVay started the violence when she grabbed the woman by the hair before dragging her to the ground.

Luke Smith and Jamie Straugheir, who has a previous conviction for biting the head off a hamster, joined in the violence when they punched and stamped on the woman’s partner after he came to her aid.

The trio then fled the scene, leaving the man unconscious in a pool of his own blood, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Joe Hedworth, prosecuting, said: “McVay grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her to the ground, she punched her repeatedly to the face and the woman tried to defend herself by kicking her away.

“The man heard the scuffle and saw his partner being attacked by McVay. He ran to help and grabbed her arm to stop her from pulling the woman’s hair.

“Two males appear at the door, Straugheir punched the man to the face and that is the last thing he recalls before coming round later.

“The woman heard heavy stamping of the feet and then heard one of the men shouting - ‘we need to get out of here’.”

Mr Hedworth said the man was found in a pool of blood and suffered facial fractures as a result of the attack.

McVay, 20, of Dickinson Way, Darlington, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the woman, while 20-year-old Smith, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on her partner.

Jamie Straugheir (Image: Durham Constabulary)

While 22-year-old Straugheir, of Victoria Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm on the man following the attack on May 21 last year.

Rachael Landin, representing McVay, said her client was a vulnerable young woman who struggled with alcohol problems and untreated behavioural problems.

Chris Morrison, representing Straugheir, said his client had struggled with the death of his mother when he was a teenager.

He added: “A lot of the offences he has committed in his youth were when no one was looking after him at all.”

Luke Smith (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Maxwell Cope, representing Smith, said his client had been drinking since he was 11 and was also taking illicit drugs.

He said: “He recognises the trigger for his offending is the people he is hanging around with and does wish to stop associating with those people.”

Judge Richard Bennett branded their explanation of what happened on the night as ‘palpable nonsense’ before sentencing them for the serious assaults.

“She was able to hear repeated stamps and punches to her partner,” he said.

“You left him unconscious, he gradually regained consciousness but was in significant pain.

“When police and ambulance crews arrived, he was laid in a pool of blood, his face was swollen and was barely conscious, he was described as being incoherent.”

Smith was sentenced to three years in custody, Straugheir was sentenced to 18-months, while McVay was given a two-year community order.

She was also ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and subjected to 12-month alcohol treatment programme.

All three were made subject to indefinite restraining orders to protect both victims.