Second thug sentenced for role in horrific Chorley attack which left innocent victim seriously injured
A second thug has been sentenced by a judge after a man spent six days in hospital following an horrific assault in Chorley town centre.
Michael Dyer pleaded guilty in Preston Crown Court this week to inflicting grievous bodily harm on innocent passer-by David Trimble.
He was knocked unconscious, suffered a serious head injury and a broken and dislocated ankle in an unprovoked late-night attack.
The court heard one of the two assailants – 25-year-old Bryan Lopez – punched, kicked and stamped on Mr Trimble while he was on the floor. He then threw a concrete slab at him.
Dyer, 26, played a lesser role in the attack and walked away while his accomplice carried on the onslaught which had started when he tried to rob the victim of his rucksack.
But while Lopez was sent to prison for more than five years in November, Dyer was handed a suspended sentence by Recorder Charlotte Deane.
She told him: “You did not play a lead role. I am satisfied that you do have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
The court was told that Mr Trimble was walking through Chorley town centre in the early hours of February 17 last year when he was set on for no reason by Lopez and Dyer near the junction of Fleet Street and Gillibrand Walks
Lopez grabbed his rucksack and walked off and, when Mr Trimble went up to him to retrieve it he was attacked. He was punched and kicked and fell to the floor where Lopez continued the assault.
Dyer, of Byron Crescent, Chorley, joined in the attack and aimed at least two kicks at the victim and punched him three times before walking off.
But Lopez carried on the assault, punching, kicking and stamping on him while he was still on the ground. He then picked up a concrete slab and threw it at him.
Barrister Isabella Denn-White, prosecuting, said: “The victim suffered significant injuries. (But) the defendant (Dyer) did not play a part in the second assault.”
Mr Trimble was taken to hospital by ambulance where it was found he had a serious head injury and a badly broken ankle which needed surgery to fit pins and plates for support. He spent almost a week in hospital and was in a plaster cast for around two months, meaning he could not work.
Miss Denn-White read out Mr Trimble’s victim statement in which he said he had since suffered anxiety and panic when out in public. His injuries, he said, were “very painful”.
Dyer was only arrested nearly two months later in April after voluntarily attending Chorley Police Station three days after CCTV images of him at the scene were published across Lancashire.
Ellie McManus, defending Dyer, said her client had been out drinking that night with Lopez and was intoxicated. He had walked away and tried to de-escalate the situation by urging Lopez to return the man’s bag. But despite that Lopez continued the attack.
“Contact with Mr Lopez has now ceased, he no longer wishes to be associated with him because of the trouble has caused,” she said.
Before the assault Dyer had not been in trouble with the law. He had been working full-time at B&M Bargains in Chorley and his bosses and work colleagues were full of compliments for his work ethic, his politeness and his customer service. Colleagues said he was a “respectable and nice young man”.
His behaviour that night had been down to “poor decision-making” said Miss McManus. “He wishes to express his very genuine remorse to the victim for what he has done. He is ashamed of his actions. He should have simply walked away when he had the opportunity.
“This was very much a terrible mistake which he deeply regrets and he very much intends to learn from it.”
Recorder Dean, who sentenced Lopez to five years four months in prison in November, told Dyer: “Whilst you joined in (Lopez’s attack) you withdrew and you say you tried to de-escalate the situation. Nevertheless Mr Trimble was seriously injured.”
She sentenced him to a total of 10 months in prison, but suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 180 hours of unpaid work. The judge also ordered him to pay £240 compensation to the victim.