Brutal Pub Punch Leaves Man with Serious Brain Injuries
Thomas Matthews landed a savage blow outside the Phoenix pub in Oldbury on 24 October last year. The victim, a man in his 40s, was punched square in the face, crashing to the ground and suffering severe head injuries.
Fleeing Scene but Caught on CCTV
Matthews, 29, fled the scene on Martley Road but was quickly identified from CCTV footage and arrested within days. He claimed he only acted in self-defence after trying to calm the victim’s partner, who’d been involved in an earlier pub row and was making threats.
According to Matthews, the victim lunged at him near the smoking shelter, and fearing a weapon, he struck back. But investigations proved there was no weapon and no attack by the victim.
Jailed for Three and a Half Years
Matthews, from Bredon Court, Halesowen, admitted wounding. On Friday 19 February, wolverhampton-crown-court/" title="Wolverhampton Crown Court" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="888">Wolverhampton Crown Court sentenced him to three years and six months behind bars.
DC Tamara Collis from force CID said: “The victim has been left with serious brain injuries which will forever impact on his life. This case sadly highlights that even just a momentary loss of control can have traumatic and life-changing consequences.
“Only Matthews will truly know what his intentions were when he went across to where the victim was. But his subsequent actions have cost him his freedom and left a man with an entirely different life ahead of him.”
