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Man jailed after throwing concrete onto the head of railway trespasser

A man has been jailed after he threw a 2kg lump of concrete onto the head of a railway trespasser.

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Robert Sandall

Robert Sandall, from Oldbury, left his 20-year-old victim with 'life changing injuries' when he threw the concrete off a bridge.

The court heard that the victim was trespassing on the lines in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham with three friends on August 11 2017.

The group admitted they had been throwing stones at nearby businesses.

Sandall, who worked at a nearby recycling facility, then took the law into his own hands when he made his way to a railway bridge, where he waited for the young men to return.

The 35-year-old then launched the 2kg piece of concrete at the group who were on the tracks below, hitting the victim on the top of the head and leaving him on life-support for four days.

The victim still requires rehabilitation and is suffering from life-long effects of the head injury.

A former colleague of Sandall's told police that after the incident, that he returned to work and joked about throwing the concrete, saying the victim will have a "gravel rash" as a result.

Detective Constable Tim Friend said: “There’s no doubt the victim and his friends shouldn’t have been on the tracks, and he fully accepts this.

"Absolutely nothing however, can justify the defendant’s subsequent actions which have had devastating, life-changing consequences for the victim.

“There is never any excuse for anyone taking the law into their own hands in this way.”

Sandall, of Cotswold Close, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent at Birmingham Crown Court on March 28, after a four-day trial.

On April 16 he was sentenced to a total of four years in prison.

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