Drunk hit woman after football row

DRUNKEN Nathan Foster knocked a woman who was acting as a peacemaker unconscious outside a pub after a row over a football.

The 22-year-old punched Darci McGraw to the floor as she tried to calm him down outside Darcy's, in Victoria Road, Fenton.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday heard a boozed-up Foster began playing football in the street and the ball bounced on to cars.

This prompted a woman to take the ball from him and he became abusive.

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Prosecutor Neil Ahuja said: "He called her a rat and tried to prevent her from going inside the pub.

"Once inside, the woman's daughter, a friend of Darci McGraw, remonstrated with the defendant. He became abusive."

Foster was taken outside and one of the women pointed at his face and slapped him.

"He reacted immediately by making towards her quite quickly," said Mr Ahuja.

"Others stood between them. Darci McGraw tried to break the parties up. He threw two consecutive punches at her, hitting her in the face. Others tried to stop him and took hold of him."

But the court heard Foster hit out again with a further punch knocking Miss McGraw to the floor, leaving her unconscious.

Miss McGraw was left with a black eye, her right cheek was swollen and bruised and her mouth was bleeding and her gums bruised.

Foster, of Grosvenor Street, Longton, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on September 22.

Robert Smith, mitigating, conceded Foster has previous offences for violence, committed under the influence of alcohol.

But he said the defendant had worked very hard to turn his life around since the incident and urged Judge David Fletcher to suspend any prison sentence.

Mr Smith said: "He feels great shame he struck a woman. He can't believe he acted in that way. It is plain he was drunk."

Mr Smith said Foster was working part-time as a cleaner and his partner is pregnant. He added the defendant had abstained from using drugs for some time and is so appalled by his behaviour, he has not drunk alcohol since the assault.

Judge Fletcher decided to give Foster a chance and handed him an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with supervision, 10 sessions with the Aquarius alcohol service and a four-month curfew from 8.30pm to 6am. Foster must also pay £400 compensation to Miss McGraw and attend regular progress reports before the judge.

Judge Fletcher told Foster: "You struck out immediately after you had been slapped across the face by a female.

"It was entirely the wrong reaction, you were affected by too much booze. That girl hit her head on the pavement and was rendered unconscious."

The judge told Foster the assault was aggravated because of his 'appalling' record and it was committed while on licence for an affray and when under the influence of alcohol.

Judge Fletcher added: "I am suspending the sentence because of what is said about you in the pre-sentence report, because for the first time in your life, the probation service say you are taking your position seriously and you have kept yourself clean of drink and drugs."