A MAN from Colwyn Bay was jailed after leaving another person unconscious with a single punch outside a pub.

Andrew Aldred, 35, of Woodland Park, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Mold Crown Court today (May 23).

He had pleaded guilty to a charge of affray four days before a trial was due to start.

READ MORE:

Colwyn Bay ‘street dealer’ became cocaine addict after losing job

Llandudno referee to officiate Women’s Champions League final

PICTURES: RSPCA centre in Colwyn Bay hosts annual dog show

Prosecuting, Karl Scholz that the court that, on October 21, 2022, a group of colleagues at a scaffolding company met for drinks after work at the Afon Conwy Brewers Fayre pub/restaurant.

Among the group was Ben Parsonage, who had left the company about two weeks prior, and had been dropped off at the pub by a scaffolder who said he was in a good mood but “very drunk”.

The group gathered at the pub, which was busy, including with children and their parents having meals.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed Mr Parsonage buying drinks for Aldred, and continued drinking, before later becoming confrontational.

Aldred told him: “Calm down, just drink your beer; you’re drunk.”

He then was seen to go outside, before returning to the main bar gesturing to Mr Parsonage, “seemingly to invite him to come outside”.

Arming himself with a scaffolding bar from the vehicle which some of the men had used to travel to the pub, Aldred approached Mr Parsonage outside the pub before punching him with his fist.

Mr Parsonage consequently fell heavily to the ground and was rendered unconscious.

He was later airlifted, and flown to a hospital in Stoke with “very serious head injuries”, including complex skull fractures and brain injuries.

An off-duty police officer who was at the pub with her daughter knew Aldred from school, and had become aware of an altercation from inside the premises.

She recalled Aldred looking “angry”, with clenched fists, and warned the group that she would contact police if a fight began.

As she went back to check on her daughter, it became apparent that violence was taking place in the pub car park, so she dialled 999 before walking towards Mr Parsonage.

NEWSLETTER: Get the latest stories from the Colwyn Bay, Conwy and Llandudno area sent straight to your inbox by signing up here.

Aldred then became aggressive to her, wrestling free of her after she had initially got hold of him, before walking away.

He was arrested at his home the following day, before giving a self-defence account and calling the off-duty officer a “lying b****” when interviewed by police.

Mr Parsonage was also interviewed on January 9, but had no recollection of the incident itself, though described scarring to the back of his head and “nothing being the same anymore”.

Police were told that he felt “constantly down and worthless”, and would sometimes “not know whether he’d wake up in the morning”.

He had been attending a brain clinic in the hope of a “gradual recovery”.

In a statement, his mother added that she was advised by a neurosurgeon upon her initial arrival at hospital that Mr Parsonage may not survive the injuries he sustained.

Mr Parsonage was placed in a coma for two-and-a-half weeks, before developing pneumonia; it took him a month to be discharged from hospital.

His mother said he now requires speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, and input from an occupational health therapist.

Her son was also said to suffer from short-term memory loss, double vision, shaking, and constant pains in his head.

Mr Parsonage struggles to swallow, has lost all sense of smell and taste, and has incurred losses of more than £9,000 due to no longer being able to work.

His relationship with his young niece, who he used to take to the park and teach to play piano, has also been affected.

“He cannot do simple things, like even buttering his own toast,” her statement added.

Defending Aldred, who had 27 previous convictions for 45 offences, John Wyn Williams said he was a man with a “good work ethic”, who has expressed remorse for his actions.

Aldred was also said to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which “affects the way he reacts in volatile situations”.

Mr Wyn Williams said: “He did not instigate aggression in this incident; he reacted to provocation made by the complainant.

“The complainant was drunk and aggressive; the defendant left to avoid confrontation - something that is probably very different to the way he’s reacted in the past.

“He has now accepted that he’s fortunate he’s not facing a very, very serious offence, and accepts that this could have led to a fatal injury.

“The fact that he walked away, only used a single blow, and didn’t follow that up, may be a glimmer of hope for the future.”

Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry also enforced a five-year restraining order upon Aldred, prohibiting him from contacting Mr Parsonage directly or indirectly in that time.

Aldred will pay a statutory surcharge within three months of his release from prison.

Judge Parry said: “You are a man who will not shy away from confrontation. You won’t hesitate to use violence to cause injury.

“This is a particularly serious matter. It was quite distressing to hear of the impact of that one blow upon your victim and his family.

“I accept the very drunk man with whom you were involved was behaving provocatively, looking for a fight. I accept that you have a good work ethic.

“But the matter is simply too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.”