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Businessman jailed after glass attack



A WIRRAL businessman who glassed another young man in the face following a feud has been jailed for four years and four months.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the victim, Philip Peter Bowers, needed 41 stitches and has been left permanently disfigured following the attack.

Jailing Mark McDonald, Judge David Aubrey, QC, said: "Violence in public houses remains the scourge of our society and the courts have a duty to ensure that those engaged in such violence are heavily punished so that others will be deterred from becoming involved in aggressive behaviour."

He told 25-year-old McDonald that he had no doubt there was a history of animosity between him and the Bowers family and a certain amount of feuding.

Judge Aubrey, who looked at the victim's scarring, said that the case was aggravated because just prior to the attack McDonald had told his victim he was going to stab him.

Helen Morris, prosecuting, told the court that the incident happened on November 1 last year in the Royal Oak public house in Wallasey, where both men were drinking.

There was animosity between the men as McDonald had allegedly asked Mr Bowers' younger brother to deal drugs, which he refused to do.

They had an altercation during which McDonald said to him, 'Do you think you are a big boy?' and threatened to stab him.

It culminated with McDonald twice striking Mr Bowers in the face with the glass he was holding. Mr Bowers has been left with scars from the left side of his nostril down to the side of his mouth and into his neck area.

Mrs Morris said that four days after the incident McDonald rang the victim's home.

Later another man sent texts and calls offering ten thousand pounds to drop the charges and the police were told.

The court heard that it was not alleged that McDonald had sent those messages.

McDonald, of Trueman Close, Prenton, had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent.

Defence barrister Robert Wynn Jones said that McDonald, who has previous convictions, said McDonald strongly disputes what the victim said about the background alleged to have caused the animosity.

He said that McDonald ran two businesses to provide for his partner and young son and had been organising a fun run to raise funds for Alder Hey Hospital.

As McDonald was led to the cells his victim, who was sitting with relatives at the side of court, waved goodbye to him.

THE GLOBE

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