Hot-headed South Yorkshire thug struck a neighbour so hard his victim was left covered in blood

Sheffield Crown Court heard on April 8 how Carl Angel, aged 32, formerly of Prospect Court, on Terrace Rd, Parkgate, Rotherham, struck a neighbour from the same block of flats at Prospect Court after the defendant had been arguing with his partner.

Judge Graham Reeds QC told Angel: “Following an argument with your girlfriend you wrongly assumed the victim in this case had been doing something with her.”

Prosecuting barrister Nadim Bashir said that Angel and his partner lived in a flat above the complainant’s property and he had previously helped Angel’s partner when she had been asking for a number for a taxi.

Mr Bashir added that on November 2, 2019, the complainant had been woken by screaming and shouting from the defendant’s flat before Angel started banging on his door and demanded to know what the complainant had been doing with his partner.

Angel struck the complainant on the head twice with something he had taken from his pocket, according to Mr Bashir, and he was left bleeding significantly from his head.

The defendant, of Midland Road, Royston, Barnsley, who originally claimed he had acted in self-defence, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Matthew Burdon, defending, told the court that Angel had suffered family bereavements and since this offence he has not been in any further trouble.

Judge Reeds told Angel: “All of this took place in the doorway of the victim’s own flat. His home is a place where he is entitled to feel safe.”

He added: “You hit him twice upon the head with some sort of weapon you produced from your pocket.

"You claimed to be defending yourself but that is a lie. The reality is you hit him in a temper.”

Judge Reeds sentenced Angel to 13 months of custody suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work with a 15-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Angel was also made subject to a two-year restraining order to protect the complainant.