Portsmouth builder with a grudge against Village Hotel staff jailed for violent attack during England-Panama World Cup game

A drunk builder sent a stranger flying to the floor with a vicious head-butt after watching an England World Cup game at Cosham bar
Shane HouseShane House
Shane House

Shane House went to the Village Hotel in order to pursue a ‘vendetta’ against staff who had sacked his girlfriend over alleged racist language, a court heard.

The young father was seen to be aggressive and abusive in the run-up to his savage and unprovoked assault on the victim, who had been enjoying watching England thrash Panama with his friends.

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House, 29, of Portsmouth Road in Cosham, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray. He appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court today for sentencing.

Shane HouseShane House
Shane House

Prosecutor Martyn Booth said: ‘This defendant seems to have taken a vendetta against people at the Village Hotel bar because of the dismissal of his partner’

The court heard House turned up and began causing trouble about 4pm, trying to get another man to fight him.

At about 8pm, after the match was over, House was observed to be shouting in the bar and being abusive to staff.

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Mr Booth continued: ‘He uses his arm to sweep across the top of the bar, smashing glasses in the process.’

In his drunken rage House subjected a barmaid to what Mr Booth described as  “disgraceful” abuse, calling her a “slut” and a “slag”.

‘He was aggressive and she was in fear of what he might do to herself and other people in the bar,’ added Mr Booth

House then squared up to a stranger, before diving forward to attack him.

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 Mr Booth said: ‘The defendant really launches himself at the man, head-butting him with a tremendous degree of force, causing him to go straight to the floor.’

House head-butted the victim for a second time during the savage string of assaults, returning to him again and again to inflict more pain.

House also attacked the bar’s assistant manager, grabbing him by the throat and violently throwing him onto a sofa.

During the fray House also picked up tables and launched them across the room, with one crashing into a female paramedic who had been relaxing in the bar.

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The vicious assaults lasted several minutes before police arrived and arrested House.

Defence barrister Richard Davies said that his client was of ‘virtual good character’ and had expressed remorse.

He added: ‘This is a man who will not trouble these courts again with any repeat of this sort of incident.’

Mr Davies called for House to be given a suspended sentence so he can continue to care for his pregnant girlfriend and their child.

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Judge Roger Hetherington said: ‘You may have had quite a deal to drink but you also held a significant grudge – it seems from some perceived fault or ill treatment against a girlfriend of yours who was dismissed from the hotel.

‘One of the worst features of your violence towards [the victim] is that your girlfriend’s father and others had been trying to stop you getting at him and stop you using such violence.

‘Despite that you launch a vicious assault against him which sends him straight onto the ground.’

Judge Hetherington told House he was ‘deliberately aggressive’ and that the offence was ‘premeditated’.

House was jailed for 12 months on each count, to run concurrently.