2015: CHURCH STRETTON MAN JAILED FOR ATTACK ON UNCLE
A church Stretton man who led a street attack in which his uncle was beaten "to within an inch of his life" has been jailed for nine years.Victim Wayne Gibson was lured to the scene of the “horrendous assault” in which he was stamped on and repeatedly kicked and punched.
He was left unconscious with life-threatening injuries and needed emergency surgery following the attack in Telford.
Sam Gibson planned and led the six-man attack, which happened in a street in Oakengates.
The 23-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison and 19-year-old Ryan Smith was given four years custody at a young offenders institution.
Gibson, of Little England, Cardington, Church Stretton, and Smith, of Near Vallens, Hadley, Telford, were convicted by a jury of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard that on March 29, 2013, Wayne Gibson had sent a text message “of a sexual nature” to Sam Gibson’s mother to which his nephew had taken exception.
Judge Michael Chambers QC told Gibson the message had been private and nothing to do with him but it was the motivation for the defendant to recruit a gang of five others for the attack.
A message was sent to 49-year-old Mr Gibson to lure him to a car park in Oakengates, where he was set on by the group.
The victim suffered series internal injuries in the “premeditated, sustained and repeated assault” leaving shoe inprints on his face as he was kicked and punched.
Judge Chambers said Gibson had called an ambulance believing he had killed his uncle, but it was more to save his own skin than to help the victim.
He told Sam Gibson: “But for the eyewitnesses the police and the jury would have been hoodwinked by you into believing you were a good samaritan and not responsible for this horrendous assault.” He said that Smith, who was 17 at the time of the attack, had also tried to top pull the wool over the eyes of the jury during trial and both defendants had shown little or no remorse.
Stephen Thomas, prosecuting, said that Wayne Gibson, a plumbing and heating engineer, needed surgery to his bowel, spleen and suffered severe damage to his right eye.
He was off work for a year and his house was repossessed and was now only able to work part time on light duties.
Judge Chambers said that but for the two eye witnesses the defendants may not have appeared in the dock.
