Totton man back in jail after celebrating prison release

Daniel Barr left one of his victims with a bruised face and three missing teeth after punching and kicking him in the street.

Barr, 31, from Totton had been let out just three days before, having served a sentence for assaulting an emergency worker.

He had gone out in Bournemouth town centre on the night of Friday, September 29, to 'celebrate' his freedom.

In the early hours of the morning, the defendant was approached by a man who was visiting the area and had become 'lost'.

Barr, with his girlfriend, allowed the man to follow them to a taxi rank in the area of St Peter's Road.

Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth

Prosecuting, Tom Wright said Barr "completely out of the blue struck the victim in his face" which caused him to "real backwards".

Barr then threw another punch and kicked the man, the court heard.

Mr Wright told how the victim lost three teeth during the assault having spent £2,000 on getting his teeth fixed not long before.

In a statement shared with the court, the victim said the incident had affected his mental health and had left him "very self-conscious".

The defendant left his victim in the street and minutes later approached two other men in the area of Old Christchurch Road.

He "initiated a fight" and punched one of them before exchanging blows with both of them.

The fight was eventually stopped by police.

Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth

Neither of the victims provided impact statements to the court, and so their injuries were not detailed.

While there was a suggestion that the two were "vaguely known" to Barr, the incident was described as "completely unprovoked" and "quite ferocious".

Barr appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday, December 21, having pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating, and a single charge of actual bodily harm.

Mr Wright shared the defendant's "extensive record of previous convictions", which included theft, public order offences and violence, as well as breaches of court orders.

Defending, Robert Grey said his client had been drinking that night.

He told the court: "He has said that his problem is alcohol. That is the root cause of a significant amount of his offending.

"He is now 31 years old and he realises that he can't go on like he has in the past.

"He is not getting any younger and he knows he has to do something about it."

Addressing Barr, Judge Susan Evans KC said: "Twelve days before you committed these offences you appeared for assaulting an emergency worker.

"You were released on September 26, and you were out celebrating on the night of the incident.

"[The first victim] was alone. Unfortunately for him, he met you and the female you were with.

"The effect on him has been substantial. It has had a lasting effect on every aspect of his life. He is effectively disfigured, unsurprisingly he is hugely self-conscious of his appearance.

"Your response was to minimise the offence against victim one and you showed little remorse."

The defendant, of Jackie Wigg Gardens in Totton, was jailed for 20 months.