Builder who left a man badly brain damaged will be out in less than a year

A builder beat a fellow tradesman so severely he left him with dementia, a court heard

Robert March, 59, punched Martin Smith, 52, in a row at the Alderman Pub garden, Harold Hill, Essex.

March was aggrieved that his old employer had given work to Mr Smith and not him and called him ‘a leech.’

He then turned to Mr Smith and said ‘You’re a thieving c**t, a user, get out the pub.’

Mr Smith offered to leave the pub and was going to take his belongings when March squared up to him.

His single blow to Mr Smith’s chin knocked him unconscious causing him to hit his head on the concrete floor.

Mr Smith was left with serious brain injuries, a fractured skull and was in a coma for six weeks after the incident on 8 May.

He has since been diagnosed with dementia as a result of his injuries.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how he now ‘struggles to hold a conversation’ and doesn’t recognise family members.

His daughter, Carla Smith, said in a statement: ‘There’s no love anymore, he speaks to me with no warmth or respect.

‘He would never speak to me that way.’

CCTV footage played in court showed March pacing around the pub angrily.

March then squared up to Mr Smith and punched him before drinkers tried to give him first aid.

Mr Smith had a seizure at the scene before March’s girlfriend called an ambulance.

March was arrested in the early hours of 9 May.

Judge Martyn Zeidman QC said: ‘The incident was not inside the public house, on the carpet, it was outside on the concrete.

‘The ferocity of the punch is a factor that must be considered.

‘Even after the punch has been thrown, Mr Wallis recalls the defendant saying ‘this is all your fault’.

‘There was no sign of any contrition at that stage.

‘It has had a devastating effect, not only on the victim, but on his loving family.

‘But it must be taken into account that this was unintended.

‘I wish to offer my condolences to the family for what must have been a horrific experience.’

March, of Steeple Bay Holiday Park, Conney Road, Steeple, Essex, admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

He was jailed for 24 months.
ends