A man has been jailed for nearly five years following a violent, unprovoked assault on a council street cleaner in South Swindon last September.
Zak Nicholson, 25, of Westbourne Court, Jennings Street, Rodbourne, was sentenced to four years and eleven months in prison at Swindon Crown Court on April 2, after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm (Section 18), possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and driving without a licence or insurance.
The attack occurred on the morning of September 9, 2024, when Nicholson and his cousin, Linval Nicholson, 42, of no fixed abode, targeted a South Swindon Parish Council worker as he cleaned in the Broadgreen area. The victim, a man in his 50s, was repeatedly struck in the head with an extendable baton carried by Zak Nicholson, causing serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Linval Nicholson also joined in the assault, chasing the victim, swinging a rucksack at him, spraying an unknown liquid, and subjecting him to verbal abuse. The brutal attack, captured on CCTV, led to the swift arrest of both men.
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment before being discharged later the same day.
At court, Linval Nicholson pleaded guilty to common assault and was sentenced to 14 days in prison and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.
Police and Community Response
Detective Constable Saunders, of the Swindon Local Policing Tasking Team, praised the victim for their courage and cooperation throughout the investigation.
“This was an unprovoked, serious assault on a council worker which caused the victim to fear for his life. Attacks on council workers who are simply doing their jobs will not be tolerated. Without victims’ support, we wouldn’t be able to bring dangerous offenders like Zak Nicholson to justice,” DC Saunders said.
Rebecca Banwell-Moore, Vice-Chair of South Swindon Parish Council, also condemned the attack.
“This was an unprovoked and extremely traumatic attack on a member of our staff, one of our parish street cleaners, who works tirelessly to keep our community clean and tidy. No one should face violence in their workplace, and we are pleased that justice has been served.
“We are incredibly grateful for the bravery they have shown throughout this ordeal. We remain committed to protecting and supporting all our employees as they continue their vital work for South Swindon.
The sentencing brings a measure of justice to an incident that has deeply affected the local council workforce and wider community.
