A Pembroke Dock teenager accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm on another male, has been given a suspended jail sentence.
Nineteen-year-old Jordan Nicholas Rawlinson, of Wavell Cresecent, pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding Sean Everest, when he appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that there had been bad feeling between the defendant and the victim for some time, after Mr. Rawlinson had been called a derogatory name by the complainant a year ago, when he chose to leave the army.
“This incident occurred in Milford Haven on April 5, when the defendant was at his own house at the time with his girlfriend before they left to go to hers for something to eat.
“As they approached the leisure centre, they were concerned that they were being followed by Mr. Everest and another male, so they asked another gentleman nearby to walk with them, for protection,” Mr. Pritchard-Jones said.
The court heard how an altercation then occurred, which resulted in Mr. Rawlinson throwing punches at Mr. Everest, before walking away.
“As a result of the incident, the victim suffered an undisplaced fracture of the jaw, that fortunately didn’t require much medical attention,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones, stating that the defendant had a previous conviction for common assault in 2013, and a caution for assault in 2011.
Defence solicitor Jonathan Webb told the court that there was a lengthy background to the matter, as the defendant and the victim were cousins and had known each other all their lives.
“Mr. Everest used to live with Mr. Rawlinson and his mother at their home, and they were like brothers, but he was told that he couldn’t stay there any more due to an alleged act that caused embarrassment to the defendant’s family, so there has been animosity between the pair for some time.
“Mr. Rawlinson has told the complainant to back off before, and even got his parents to speak to Mr. Everest’s parents.
“Words were exchanged on this occasion and Mr. Rawlinson hit Mr. Everest, but described it as ‘handbags’. In a police interview, when asked how hard he had punched him, Mr. Rawlinson said about six out of ten.
“The victim was not vulnerable and this was not a sustained assault with any degree of premeditation,” added Mr. Webb.
Magistrates gave Mr. Rawlinson a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.
Requirements of the sentence included an accredited programme for 20 days; a thinking skills programme; and a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, to include 100 hours of unpaid work.
The defendant was ordered to pay compensation to the victim of £1,000, prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £115.