COMMUNITY SENTENCE FOR ROWDY TEENAGER

A DRUNKEN teenager launched an unprovoked attack on a shop manager after he had locked up for the night.

Carl Williams, 19, hit and bit Manesh Patel in Queens Square in Hemel Hempstead.

Charles White, prosecuting, told St Albans crown court that Mr Patel, a trainee manager, had locked up the Co-op store in Queens Square and got into a colleague's car to be driven home.

But Williams stood in front of the car and put a beer glass on the bonnet.

"Mr Patel gestured that they wanted to leave, but he was ignored. Mr Patel made repeated gestures and called the police on his phone,” said the prosecutor.

Williams then threw the pint glass, hitting Mr Patel on the arm. He got out of the car and in a struggle was punched several times and was bitten by Williams.

CCTV footage played to the court showed Mr Patel being attacked by other people as he tried to hang onto Williams until the police arrived. Eventually Mr Patel ended up on the ground.

Mr Patel suffered cuts to the top of his head and bite marks behind his ear and on his arm. He had bruises to his eyes and cuts to his face and lips.

Williams, of Barnacres Road, Hemel, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to Mr Patel on the night of 12 April last year. He had a previous conviction for affray and a police warning for a "Happy Slapping" attack in which he was videoed on a mobile phone slapping the back of the victim's head.

Defence barrister Nicola Cafferkey said Williams had voluntarily surrendered to the police. She said he could not recall what had happened, having consumed a substantial amount of alcohol that night.

She said he had now changed his lifestyle, but was keen to take part in an alcohol treatment programme. A meal with his girlfriend last month was the only time he had been out drinking since the attack.

Recorder Keith Lindblom QC told him: "You must appreciate unprovoked, drunken attacks are totally unacceptable."

He passed a 12-month community order with a condition that Williams attends an alcohol treatment programme and carries out 120 hours unpaid work.

February 2010