A man has been jailed for a violent assault at a pub near Dorchester.
Simon Anthony Jeff, aged 47 and of Dorchester, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday 26 September 2023 and was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
At around 7.30pm on Friday 2 September 2022 the victim, a man aged in his 60s, attended The Three Compasses pub in Charminster and while inside the premises he engaged in conversation with Jeff. There were no disagreements or any indication of aggressive behaviour.
The victim then went outside for a cigarette and was approached from behind by the defendant. The next thing he recalled was waking up in severe pain on the ground.
When challenged about what happened the defendant admitted that he ‘might have pushed him’.
A review of CCTV footage from the pub showed Jeff approach the victim and without warning swing a punch with his right arm that connected with the victim’s face. The victim appeared to lose consciousness at that point and then struck his head as he fell to the ground.
Jeff was then seen to take hold of the victim’s ankles and drag him down to the bottom of the steps.
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and scans revealed a bleed to his brain.
Following enquiries by officers, Jeff was arrested in the early hours of Saturday 3 September 2022.
Detective Sergeant Rich Barnett, of Weymouth police, said: “This was a cowardly and completely unprovoked attack on an innocent member of the public, which resulted in the victim sustaining extremely serious injuries.
“We absolutely will not tolerate violent offending of this nature and as this case demonstrates we will do all we can to identify offenders and bring them before the court so they can face the consequences of their actions.”
