UPDATE: |Thug said ‘I want to party’ before terrorising vulnerable former soldier News

Two men have been jailed

Two men terrorised and ‘toyed’ with a vulnerable former soldier in his own flat.

Marc Robson, 38, and Bailey Wood, 21, targeted their victim after turning up to his home with two others, a court has heard.

The victim was repeatedly kicked, stamped on, hit with a crutch and choked – while Robson also threatened to stab him with a shard of a plate after he had smashed it over his own head.

The sickening attack left him with a fractured eye socket and facial lacerations. Both Robson and Wood pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, Chronicle Live reports.

The vile incident unfolded at the man’s flat in Swalwell, Gateshead, on July 20 last year.

Robson and Wood, both of no fixed address, appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham on Tuesday (April 22) to be sentenced.

The court heard that the victim had been discharged from the Army due to his anxiety and was living alone in a flat. Saba Shan, prosecuting, said that he had once been ‘friendly’ with Robson, but had since tried to distance himself from him.

But at around 8am on July 20, the victim was woken up to Robson and Wood banging on his front door, along with another man and a woman.

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Ms Shan said: “The banging continued and he heard voices, recognising Robson’s. They began to climb over his fence and he saw the defendants outside.”

The man then allowed the four into his flat as Robson told him, ‘I want to party’. Ms Shan said: “[Robson] tried to provoke an argument with the victim, saying he was going to ask him questions.”

Robson then ‘headbutted a plate’ which smashed, before threatening to stab the victim with a shard. It was then that Robson and Wood launched their attack.

Ms Shan continued: “Wood tried to hit him over the head with a glass ashtray and a vodka bottle. Robson put both his hands around his throat and squeezed, saying ‘go to sleep’. Both defendants then punched and choked him for several minutes.”

The court heard the victim attempted to escape the flat, but was effectively trapped as he only had his backdoor key. He was “repeatedly kicked” as he tried to get away before Robson picked up a crutch and delivered ‘numerous blows’. Ms Shan said the victim believes he briefly lost consciousness during the attack.

Wood then urged the victim to go outside and tell a neighbour who may have heard the attack that everything was alright, but he refused – hoping the police would be called. Believing the neighbour had heard the attack, Robson, Wood and their two friends then fled the scene.

The victim was taken to hospital to be treated for a fractured eye socket and lacerations to his head and ear. Robson and Wood were later arrested and linked to the crime as they had the victim’s blood on their clothing.

While in the police station, Robson had urinated on his shoes and rubbed them on him, the court was told. The victim’s blood was later found on his shoes with DNA testing finding it likely he had been stamping on the victim as he lay bleeding.

In a victim statement, the former serviceman said: “I genuinely thought I was going to die.” He said he had been discharged from the Army due to anxiety and that the attack has made him afraid to leave his own home. He added he considered himself to be a ‘nice person’.

The court heard Robson had 19 previous convictions for 33 offences, including for GBH, assault and affray. Wood had six previous convictions for 11 offences, including battery and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was serving a community order for criminal damage at the time of the attack.

Peter Sabiston, defending Robson, said he had “expressed a degree of remorse” and that his progress whilst in prison had been ‘exemplary’. He said he hopes to resume working as a plasterer upon his release and had been doing voluntary work with the Samaritans.

Mr Sabiston added: “He has a close relationship with some members of his family and has a son. He had a troubled background and suffers from PTSD.”

Robin Patton, defending Wood, said he was brought up in care and had not yet matured. He said: “He has deep-seated mental health problems and doesn’t want to go back to prison again.”

Sentencing the pair, Recorder David Gordon said they ‘picked on an easy target’ and that the victim was vulnerable in nature and the fact he was trapped inside his home. He said the attack was ‘prolonged and persistent’, adding: “There was degradation of the victim and he was toyed with.”

Robson was jailed for two years and three months and Wood was jailed for 21 months. Both were made the subject of a 10 year restraining order.