Sheffield Crown Court: 'Extremely violent' man jailed for six attacks in two months

As she jailed Daniel Lang for 54 months for the numerous violent offences he committed during the summer of 2021, Judge Rachael Harrison told him: “I have no doubt you are an extremely violent man. You are a danger to women with whom you are in a relationship. You are prepared to use violence indiscriminately.”

The first string of assaults committed by Lang, aged 29, took place on June 1 last year at a family barbecue at his sister’s home.

During a sentencing hearing held on June 16, 2022, prosecution barrister, Katy Rafter, told Sheffield Crown Court how Lang, of Forth Avenue, Woodlands, Doncaster, ‘found out’ about a barbecue his sister was having and informed her he would be attending with his son.

“The defendant arrived and it was clear he was intoxicated, after being in the pub all day…after about 20 minutes he started to make nasty comments to people, and started throwing clothes pegs at people,” Ms Rafter said.

The court heard how Lang’s sister asked him to leave, and he subsequently threw her to the ground, and while there, he kicked and punched her.

The woman’s partner attempted to intervene and he knocked her to the floor and proceeded to assault her, and began making homophobic comments about the woman, relating to her relationship with Lang’s sister.

Ms Rafter described how when another of Lang’s sisters became involved in the melee he ‘threw her across the garden,’ twisting her ankle in the process.

Following the incident, Lang went on to send abusive messages to his mother and sister, some of which contained threats of ‘trouble’ for any family member who ‘grassed’.

Ms Rafter said Lang then went on to live with his former partner, despite there being a restraining order in place which prevents him from contacting her.

The court heard how she agreed to let him live with her out of ‘fear of what he would do’.

During his stay, he accused his former partner, with whom he shares a son, of ‘cheating’ on him, and assaulted her twice.

During the second assault, Lang subjected the woman to an injury to her nose which caused her to bleed profusely, and resulted in two black eyes.

“The defendant told her it was an accident, and that he didn’t mean to do it that hard…he told her not to leave the house so no-one would see,” Ms Rafter said.

Lang subsequently went on to send abusive messages to the woman, causing her to fear for both her and her son’s safety, and they fled their home as a consequence, the court heard.

In a police statement read to the court, the woman said: “I can’t protect myself from him, and genuinely believe that one day he will kill me.”

On July 9, 2021, Lang remonstrated with a bus driver while the bus was parked at Sandall Park in Wheatley because he was being made to wait to get on, as the driver put down a ramp to allow a wheelchair user access to the vehicle.

Ms Rafter said: “When the bus terminated in Moorends, the defendant told the driver: ‘If I didn’t have my kid, I’d kill you’.”

Lang subsequently went on to slap the driver around the face, and also threw the contents of a drink bottle in his face.

Then, on August 2, a man looking for his stolen bike knocked on Lang’s door, after recognising the goal posts seen in the foreground of a photograph used in a post selling his stolen cycle on Facebook Marketplace.

Lang told the man a friend was on his way to help him, and when he arrived, Lang proceeded to pepper spray the owner of the stolen bike, before throwing a ‘few punches,’ Ms Rafter said.

While wanted for a number of these offences, Lang failed to surrender at court on October 12 last year, and was not arrested for another month.

Lang, who has 30 previous convictions including violent offences, was subsequently charged with, and pleaded guilty to, multiple charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as offences of battery, breaching a restraining order, possessing prohibited weapon for discharge of noxious liquid/gas/electrical incapacitation device, making malicious communications and failing to surrender.

In mitigation, defence barrister, Dale Harris, told the court that following a split from his girlfriend, Lang stopped taking taking his mild anti psychotic medication and mood stabilisers and ‘quite simply went off the rails’.

“He completely lost it. This mirrors his behaviour on remand in custody. It was impossible to take instructions. He was paranoid and mistrustful,” Mr Harris said.

In addition to Lang’s custodial sentence, Judge Harrison also granted an eight-year restraining order, preventing Lang from contacting his sisters and his sister’s partner.