A young man ‘protecting his girlfriend’s honour’ e

A young man ‘protecting his girlfriend’s honour’ escaped
jail when he appeared before a judge on St Valentine’s Day
today on a wounding charge.

The victim had scrawled graffiti on a wall about the size of
Vicky Roberts’ bottom.

Vicky’s angry boyfriend Darren McLeod responded by hitting
Marcus Cleary, 20, over the head with an iron bar.

Miss Susan Pyle, defending McLeod, dissuaded the
judge from passing a jail term, reminding him: ‘It is an apt day
for him to be sentenced.

‘At the time he felt rightly or wrongly that he was protecting
his girlfriend’s honour.

‘
Judge Geoffrey Mercer said he agreed the messages
proclaiming McLeod’s girlfriend sleeping around as well as having
a large bottom were ‘no doubt offensive.

‘
The judge told 20-year-old McLeod, of previous good character:
‘You were within an inch of going into custody.

‘
The judge ordered the jobless youngster who hopes to be a display
artist to do 180 hours of community service, and to pay pnds stlg 75
to Cleary in compensation.

McLeod, of Tasman Close, Corringham, Essex, admitted possession
of an iron bar as an offensive weapon and wounding Cleary.

The court was told how on May 18 last year McLeod saw on a wall
at a friend’s house a message reading – ‘Darren’s girlfriend’s got a
fat arse.

‘
There were further remarks about her ‘screwing around.

‘
After he was told Cleary was responsible, he drove with
friends to the Five Bells pub in Basildon, said Mr David Groome,
prosecuting.

There McLeod hit him several times, saying: ‘Stop
writing things about my bird.

‘
But the following day the pair met by accident in the Five Bells
car park.

McLeod pulled a 13 inch weightlifting bar from his coat sleeve
and hit him over the head several times.

Bleeding heavily, Cleary was taken to hospital and had three
stitches put in a head wound.

His skull was not fractured but for some time he
suffered dizziness and double vision, the court was told.

ENDS
llll