Lamplugh attack left farm worker unable to work for a month

A man who left a farm worker unable to work for a month after punching him has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Gordon Thomas Miller, from near Lamplugh, repeatedly hit and kicked his victim even when the man refused to fight back, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Miller, 47, boasted about the attack afterwards, but then told police it "all got out of hand".

He was sentenced to 10 months suspended for two years after admitting causing grievous bodily harm.

The court heard Miller, who lives on a farm, was drunk when he rode his quad bike to a nearby farm on 9 August to confront a man who had been in an on-off relationship with his daughter.

The victim told Miller he did not want to fight, but Miller responded by punching him to the ground and repeatedly hitting him.

As his victim tried to move away, Miller began hitting him in the ribs before stamping on and kicking his back, the court heard.

"The complainant was coughing blood and left on the ground while the defendant left the field on his quad bike," prosecutor Kim Whittlestone said.

As the men met briefly again in the farm yard, Miller asked: "Are you going to fight me or not?"

The victim drove himself to hospital where swelling to his face eventually closed over his eyes.

He sustained facial fractures and broken ribs, remained in hospital overnight so he could be assessed by a surgeon and was off work for four weeks, the court heard.

In the immediate aftermath, Miller was heard by a farmer saying he had given the man a "good hiding" and that he "guaranteed" he wouldn't be at work the next day.

The farmer also saw blood on the seat, steering wheel and radio of the tractor the victim had been driving.

Judge Nicholas Barker suspended a prison sentence after taking into account Miller's admissions, an absence of previous convictions and concluding there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Miller must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement, 180 hours' unpaid work and pay his victim £3,600 compensation. He was also banned from contacting him for two years.

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