A man has been jailed for a brutal attack that left his victim having a fit in the road.
John William Connelly, 41, breached a restraining order by confronting his former partner and her partner, and then violently assaulting the man.
He repeatedly punched and kicked the victim while shouting at his ex-partner to “go to work”.
The violence only ended when two nearby council workers intervened, forcing Connelly to stop and leave the scene.
The victim was left unconscious and taken to hospital by ambulance where he remained for 24 hours.
York Crown Court heard the attack happened on Kingsway West in York, on 8 April, less than three weeks after Connelly was handed the restraining order forbidding contact with his ex-partner.
Connelly was located by police and arrested shortly after the attack. He pleased guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and breaching a restraining order and was today (Friday) jailed for five years.
‘Broke my heart’
In a victim impact statement read in court, his ex partner described the lasting trauma caused by the incident. She said: “I am disgusted by the attack on my partner especially in the cowardly way John assaulted him.
“John repeatedly stamped all over him which led to him going into a fit.
“When I saw him fitting on the floor it really broke my heart, I tried to help him the best way I could with help also from a council worker who stayed with us until the ambulance came. I am extremely thankful to him.”
She told the court the lingering trauma still causes her partner to shake in his sleep: “I keep an eye on him through the nights now just in case he ever goes into another fit.
“The place where John attacked him is on my route to work, so I have to walk past it often, which constantly brings it all back and makes me really anxious”, she said.
Detective Alex Dorlin, of North Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “Connelly showed blatant disregard for the restraining order by confronting his ex-partner and attacking her partner in front of her.
“The victim was knocked unconscious, and the situation could have been far worse without the courageous actions of two nearby council workers.
“Restraining orders exist to shield individuals from harm and prevent unwanted contact – violating them is a serious offence, along with deliberately causing serious physical injury to another person, as reflected in Connelly’s sentence.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for both victims, and I hope today’s outcome offers them some measure of reassurance.”
