Drunk Ford Estate man beat up couple for no reason at all while they were putting their disabled son into a car

A drunk Ford Estate man violently beat up a couple for “no reason at all” while they were putting their disabled son into a car in a random, unprovoked attack.

Alec Greenhalgh left the man with a broken collarbone and the woman needing a staple to a cut to her head and the child needing counselling after he approached them and turned violent for no reason.

Once sober, the 45-year-old himself could offer no reason as to why he attacked the couple but admitted that he did and said he was ashamed.

Greenhalgh, of Ford Estate, had pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at a previous hearing and appeared back at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court this week for sentence following the preparation of a report. Claire Armstrong, prosecuting, said the offences happened in Swindon at around 3am on December 23 last year.

During this time, Greenhalgh was in fact reported missing by SGM after an appeal by his family.

Miss Armstrong continued: “The defendant approached the two complainants, who were putting their disabled son in the car. He approached and called [the male victim] a “paedo”. He continued with the abuse while punching the car window.

“The defendant was pushed in self-defence and fell backwards on the floor. He got up and hit [the woman] on the head and pulled her head, causing her to fall to the ground. [The male victim] intervened and both he and the defendant were involved in a physical confrontation.

“The defendant repeatedly tried to punch [the male victim] to the head while he was on top of him on the floor. [The male victim] and the defendant continue to have an altercation while the other complainant gets help.”

The court heard that the police arrived a short time later and Greenhalgh was arrested. Magistrates were told that the male victim suffered a broken collarbone, which he had to wear his arm in a sling for, an elbow injury, cuts and bruises, while the woman suffered a cut to her head, which needed a staple, and bruising.

The female victim said in a statement: “My disabled son, who witnessed all this, has had to undertake counselling sessions as he was very quiet and withdrawn after the incident and was not himself.”

The court heard that Greenhalgh had 33 offences on his record but had not been in trouble since 2015. Lee Mott, defending, said: “He’s pleaded guilty and it’s eight years since his last conviction.

“This was quite out of the blue. Mr Greenhalgh struggles to know where it came from, although alcohol played a part. He was in Swindon as a result of a relationship.

“That relationship had gone sideways and he found himself pretty much alone in the area. He doesn’t know why this happened. He knows none of this would have happened if he hadn’t approached these people.”

Magistrates decided that their powers of sentence were insufficient and committed Greenhalgh to Newcastle Crown Court to finalise the case. Chair of the bench, Keith McIntosh, said: “What aggravates this offence is that you were drunk and also there was a disabled child present.”