Brute left Kettering rough sleeper with life-changing injuries - and then said he deserved it
A vicious brute told a homeless Kettering man he was lucky he was not going to die before leaving him with life-changing injuries.
Robert Sharp grabbed his victim by the throat and banged his head against a brick wall in revenge after being accused of sleeping with his girlfriend.
The victim suffered a skull fracture, spent time on a ventilator and had to learn how to walk again after the horrifying incident.
On Monday (June 3) Sharp, 54, was jailed for eight years and six months after admitting causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Northampton Crown Court heard the victim was a rough sleeper and was in a relationship with a friend of Sharp’s, who had been staying with him. He started to spend time at Sharp’s home but continued to sleep outside the former Gala Bingo hall in Kettering’s High Street, where he was when the attack took place.
Prosecutor Quiana Fitzpatrick said the victim had suggested that his girlfriend and Sharp had been having a relationship which caused ‘animosity’ before the incident, which took place at 7am on August 18 last year.
A passer-by saw Sharp wake his victim as he slept and tower over him before shouting: “You are lucky you are not going to die today.”
Ms Fitzpatrick said: “He placed his right hand around the victim’s throat, lifted him up from the pavement and against the wall, and banged his head against the wall and punched him in the stomach.”
The eyewitness called 999 and the victim was rushed to Kettering General Hospital covered in blood and unable to open one eye.
A CT scan revealed he suffered subdural haematomas, a hairline skull fracture, fractures to facial bones and five fractured ribs.
He was transferred to University Hospital Coventry as an emergency trauma patient where he was put on a ventilator and had surgery.
Ms Fitzpatrick said: “Doctors described his injuries as life-changing.”
Sharp, of Winstanley Road in Wellingborough, was arrested shortly after the incident and found intoxicated with vodka.
While in police custody he made comments suggesting the attack was in revenge.
He said: “I cannot believe I am getting arrested for a homeless idiot like him. He deserved it.”
When formally interviewed Sharp gave a pre-prepared statement denying the offence and then gave no comment answers.
Ms Fitzpatrick read a victim impact statement to the court where the victim described having physio five times a day for five weeks just to learn to walk again.
In the statement he said he keeps losing balance, cannot trust anyone and suffers from panic attacks.
Ms Fitzpatrick said: “He knows this will impact his life forever.”
Mitigating, Paul Webb said Sharp is someone who is ‘typically caring and community-minded’ who doesn’t like conflict and offered the victim and his partner a home.
He said, having assisted them, that the allegation was ‘extremely unpleasant’ but that Sharp accepted his behaviour was ‘totally unacceptable’.
Mr Webb said: “It would appear that this offence was out of character.”
Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane told Sharp he must serve two-thirds of his sentence behind bars before he can be released.
She said: “This was a vicious, unprovoked revenge attack causing life-changing injuries for the victim.”
A restraining order was also made, banning Sharp from contacting his victim indefinitely.