Wolverhampton delivery driver suffers serious head injury in metal bar attack as he slept

Daniel Marple, who was snoozing in his car parked beside Bedfordshire's Santa Pod drag racing track, suffered a serious head injury as Jody Recci smashed in the sun roof and clubbed him over the head.

Mr Marple put his hands up to protect himself and suffered a broken finger and a broken nose.

Appearing at Luton Crown Court this week, Recci, of Simmons Close, Middleton, Tamworth, sobbed in the dock as he was jailed for four years. He pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and criminal damage and also guilty to assaulting a friend of Mr Marple, Terry Dicken, who was also sleeping inside the Toyota MR2.

Judge Stuart Bridge was told the attack happened in July of this year because Recci thought the victim was seeing his ex-girlfriend. Shortly before, Recci had sent Mr Marple a text message saying he was going to 'permanently disable him'.

During the day and evening Mr Marple had drunk around 15 cans of lager and decided to sleep the night in his car and drive home the next day when he was sober. Mr Dickens was asleep beside him in the passenger seat.

Mr Kevin West, prosecuting, said at around 7am on July 5 the men were sleeping when 32-year-old Recci came up to the car and began smashing the driver's side window and sun roof with a metal car jack.

Shattered glass showered the two occupants, which caused Mr Dickens to suffer cuts to his hand.

But the violence that followed was directed at Mr Marple as Recci reached through the shattered sun roof and window to aim blows with the bar at him.

The court heard his passenger was able to get out of the car but Mr Marple was unable to as Recci ran around the other side of the vehicle.

The car's windscreen was smashed and Mr Marple felts blows to his face and head, arms and hand.

Judge Bridge was told the attack lasted around 90 seconds before Recci ran off, got back into his own car and drove away.

The court heard that since the attack, Mr Marple has been nervous when going out and for a while had been unable to perform his duties as a delivery driver because of his injuries.

The damage caused to his car that day amounted to £850.

Miss Bozzie Sheffi, defending, said Recci appeared in court 'a broken man'. She said he had suffered bereavement as well as the loss of a relationship with his wife in the past.

Passing sentence, Judge Bridge said "I accept that what you did was entirely out of character."