'Cowardly' Corby man battered 84-year-old on his own doorstep
A man grappled on the ground and bit an octogenarian in the face on the driveway of his Corby home.
Paul Wright went to the man’s house then punched him and bit him on the driveway after he answered the door.
The victim later described the attacker as ‘sneaky and cowardly’, and said he had been left constantly wondering about how to defend himself should Wright try to hurt him again.
Then, while still on police bail, the 60-year-old of Gainsborough Road hit his on-off girlfriend in the face with a smashed-up beer can in a separate assault.
Wright was at Northampton Crown Court to be sentenced for two counts of actual bodily harm.
Prosecuting, Quiana Fitzpatrick, said that Wright had gone to the address of his partner’s 84-year-old father on August 26, 2024 at about 7.45pm.
"(The victim) opened the door and Wright was already down the driveway,” she said.
"He turned back and grabbed him.
"CCTV shows them grappling on the floor. He says Wright bit him under his right eye.
"The victim pushed him away by his neck and the defendant punched him to the head multiple times causing swelling.”
The victim received a wound and scratches to his face, and was left lying on the floor.
Ms Fitzpatrick continued: “Wright left and shouted ‘do you want some more?’ as he drove away.”
The victim’s wounds were treated in hospital and a laceration had to be steri-stripped. He also had injuries to his hands and toes.
In a victim personal statement read in court, the man, who is now 86, said: “Since the attack I’ve found myself more on edge when I’m on my own.
"I’m very regularly thinking about what I’d do if he came to my house again.
"I wander around wondering what I could use if he attacked me again.”
He said he had purchased Ring doorbells but was ‘always looking over his shoulder.’
"I’ve never invited trouble myself. It was a sneaky, cowardly, attack.”
In the following months, Wright resumed his relationship with his partner of four years, and, on Boxing Day 2025, the pair decided to spend three nights in a Travelodge in Northampton. He was still on conditional bail for the first offence at the time.
After drinking ‘a lot of alcohol’ they argued over his upcoming court date.
Ms Fitzpatrick said: “He used a scrunched up beer can to hit her to the face.”
In the early hours she went to the reception and called police and an ambulance. She told police that he had started fighting with her while she was going to sleep.
The woman was left with cuts to her nose and grazes to her forehead.
The defendant told police that he couldn’t remember the offence and his first memory was waking up in custody.
Wright admitted two counts of actual bodily harm on the first day of a planned trial. The court was told he has five previous convictions including for breaching a non-molestation order and assaulting a police officer.
In mitigation the court heard that there had been a recent ‘shift in attitude’ from Wright, and that he had been sober since being remanded to await sentencing.
Barrister Elspeth Windsor said: “He has an eagerness to take whatever help and support there might be to make sure this is not repeated.”
She said he had a supportive family and a grandchild that he had been unable to meet because he had been in prison. He also had ongoing health issues.
She added: “He’s let himself down in the past.”
Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane said that in a pre-sentence report he had denied the offences and sought to blame others for his behaviour.
She gave Wright an 18 month community order including 10 rehabilitation activity days and six months of alcohol treatment. He was also handed a five year restraining order.