Man jailed following serious assault in Crewe

A 31-year-old has been jailed for seriously assaulting an older man in Crewe.

Danny Stockton, of Abbey Place, Crewe, was living in Wilmslow when the incident occurred shortly before 10pm on Saturday 13 July.

After witnessing an altercation involving two women in front of a house in Maplins Moss Place, he became involved in an altercation with a 45-year-old man from Crewe.

The man sustained head and facial injuries as a result of the altercation before fleeing into a nearby house.

At that point Stockton, who was topless, started walking towards a 42-year-old man from Crewe in an aggressive manner.

The victim walked backwards onto Broughton Road as Stockton pursued him.

He made it clear to Stockton that he did not want to fight him.

Yet Stockton grabbed him after he had tripped over and then seriously assaulted the man, punching him twice before repeatedly kicking him in the head as he lay on the floor.

He left the victim lying in a pool of blood and was arrested in Maplins Moss Place shortly after 10pm.

The 42-year-old victim and the 45-year-old man were both taken to hospital, where they received treatment for the facial and head injuries they had sustained.

The younger man’s injuries were particularly extensive.

Stockton was subsequently charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to the 42-year-old man and assaulting a person occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the 45-year-old man.

He denied the charges.

Following a two-week trial at Chester Crown Court, Stockton was convicted of the GBH charge and found not guilty of the ABH charge.

He returned to the court on Friday 27 March to be sentenced for the GBH offence.

Stockton was jailed for 15 years.

Following sentencing, Detective Sergeant Steve Smith, who led the investigation for Crewe Local Policing Unit, said: “After the 45-year-old man he’d had an altercation with had fled, Danny Stockton was determined to continue the violence.

“The 42-year-old victim made it crystal clear to Danny Stockton that he did not walk to fight him. He told him so and attempted to walk away from him.

“Yet Stockton pursued him and attacked him when he had tripped over and was vulnerable.

“The level of violence shown by Stockton during this attack was truly abhorrent.

“The victim sustained significant facial and head injuries as a result of the serious and sustained assault, which was witnessed by members of the public.

“But the consequences of this incident could have been far worse, for the victim, the offender and all of their friends and family members.

“Thankfully, the victim is at home recovering from the physical and physiological effects of the assault and Stockton is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions.

“I would like to thank the witnesses who gave evidence during the trial and I hope that the culmination of this case and the substantial prison sentence that Stockton has received gives the victim some closure and that he can now begin to move forward with his life.

“I also hope that this case underlines the fact that Cheshire Constabulary will do everything in our power to bring violent offenders to justice and that the 15-year custodial sentence imposed by Chester Crown Court deters others from committing similar crimes.”

On top of his custodial sentence, Stockton was ordered to pay a £181 victim surcharge.

He was also handed a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim, either directly or indirectly, for 20 years.