Thug who left man needing life saving surgery is jailed for ten years

Brett Wilkes had already been dragged into the road by Michael McDonagh during a scuffle when he was attacked by a second man who beat him so hard with a baseball bat that the weapon broke into three pieces, a judge heard.

So Mr Wilkes was unable to protect himself when 22-year-old McDonagh – and the other attacker, who has not been traced – started kicking the prone figure, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

"Within the space of a minute the injured party had been punched nine times by the defendant who also kicked him three times to the area of his head," revealed Mr Oliver Woolhouse, prosecuting.

"He was then hit four times across the head and back by the second man with sufficient force to break the bat.

The defendant then kicked the injured party twice to the face while the other person kicked him to the rear of the head.

Mr Wilkes got to his feet in a bid to run off but fell over and had to crawl to the side of Leamore Lane, Walsall around 9pm on June 26 last year.

He was taken to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where it was confirmed that he had suffered two separate bleeds on the brain, each of which required emergency surgery.

Mr Wilkes spent a fortnight under intensive care and a month in hospital before being allowed home.

He faces a further operation during which a Titanium plate will replace a third of his skull, the court heard.

Violence flared after his mother and her partner had a disagreement with McDonagh and several other young men while walking home down Leamore Lane.

His mother collected an eight inch kitchen knife and returned to the scene to confront the group with it. Her son had followed her and became involved when she was disarmed and knocked out, continued Mr Woolhouse.

Mr Stephen Cadwaladr, defending, said: "The defendant and his friends did not start this trouble. The injured party's mother picked a fight with these men."

McDonagh, who lives in Leamore Lane, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed by Judge Simon Ward.

The Judge told him: "What you did was extremely vicious and, while kicking him in the head, you knew one of your mates had already been hitting him with a substantial weapon.

"He needed life saving surgery and is likely to have life long symptoms as a result."

Mr Wilkes said in a statement: "I still have no memory of what happened to me and my life is completely different. It just seems to be hospital appointments and taking tablets."

As a result of his injuries he was forced to miss the birth of his son last month and is now scared to hold the child in case he drops him.

He added: "It's been devastating and I am left frustrated and angry."