Uncle and nephew jailed for attacking man who '˜thought he was going to die'

Graham Page and Jason Howard appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing after being found guilty of separate offences following a trial.

Page, 37, was found guilty by a jury of wounding with intent in relation to the incident on June 16, 2016.

Meanwhile Howard was found guilty of unlawful wounding.

The court heard the pair had been drinking at the Heron Pub, in Havant, before Howard left in his van. Page and another man then got into a fight which spilled out into the pub car park.

Howard, 22, was then phoned by his uncle Page and returned to the pub.

Judge David Melville QC told the hearing that Page then got into Howard’s van and drove into the victim.

He said: ‘You then both approached the victim and you Page took hold of a metal bar and hit him repeatedly in the head. In his evidence, the victim said thought he was going to die.

‘Had it not been for a passing woman who knew you both and the victim, and told you to get away from him, we wouldn’t like to think what might have happened.

‘Page, you assaulted him in a sustained, violent way.’

Prosecutor Kris Berlevy read out a statement from the victim which said two years on he is still affected by the attack.

He read: ‘I suffer from memory loss, problem solving, lack of concentration and mood swings. I second guess what I am doing and work and find it embarrassing when I get things wrong.

‘I have suffered two panic attacks and my family say my personality has changed.’

Last week’s hearing heard how during the trial, evidence showed Howard did not inflict any of the injuries on the victim but did not stop Page’s attack.

Judge Melville added: ‘It is quite evident the victim’s brain injury is a serious one and occurred as a result of a sustained and repeated assault on him.’

Phil Ruthers, defending Page, said: ‘A reference letter provided to probation on the defendant says this behaviour is somewhat out of character.

‘The person behind the reference has seen him in similar environments when he doesn’t appear to have behaved in this way.

‘It indicates something of a split personality.’

Page, of Whitebeam Road, Durrington, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for wounding with intent with an additional 18 months added for a separate offence of affray.

During the time of the assault, Page had been serving a suspended sentence for a driving offence and Judge Melville added six months custody for a total sentence of 14 years.

Howard, of Littlegreen Avenue, Havant, was sentenced to a year in prison.

Defending, Kaja Reiff-Musgrove said: ‘He did not inflict a sustained attack on anyone or use the vehicle.

‘He has been extremely remorseful for the incident itself.

‘He has tried to turn his life around and has cut ties with his uncle.’