STREET-ATTACK victim Gary Mountford forgives the yob who left him with a fractured cheekbone and eye socket.

The yob who inflicted such serious injuries that his victim's heart stopped twice on the hospital operating table.

The yob who left him almost blind in one eye and needing to take heart medicines everyday.

The attack has resulted in 21-year-old Matthew Morris being jailed for 15 months for GBH.

But religious Mr Mountford revealed his forgiveness as Morris was taken to the cells at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court last week.

He said: "As they put the handcuffs on Mr Morris in court, I said four words to him: 'Matthew, I forgive you'. "Everyone in court was gobsmacked.

"I am quite religious so it's not hard for me to forgive people.

"I believe that if you can't forgive someone, you're no better than them."

Mr Mountford was based in Scotland with the Royal Marines from 1976 to 1983 and recalls seeing comrades killed during the troubles in Northern Ireland.

But Mr Mountford was still shocked by the brutality meted out outside the newsagent in Pinfold Avenue, Norton, at 7pm on December 22 last year.

He said: "I thought there were just three of them, but you could see five on the CCTV. When they showed it in court everyone was disgusted.

"You could see them running off, leaving me lying unconscious in a pool of my own blood."

Mr Mountford had worked as an electrician after leaving the Marines, and although he had been unemployed for several years he was looking to return to work before the attack.

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Video of the attack caught on CCTV

Now that is not possible but he still cares for his uncle and helps his neighbours with gardening.

His doctors have advised him to rest and prescribed him enough drugs to fill a carrier bag.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for someone who prided himself on his physical fitness.

His brother Ian Glyn, aged 53, of St Nicholas Avenue, Norton, said: "I saw him just after the attack and he was a right mess. Now he's got all these problems with his heart that they'll need to fix before they'll even consider operating on him."

It emerged during sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court that Morris had previously received three cautions for violence.

But a Staffordshire Police spokesman said it was up to individual officers to use their discretion in deciding where and when a caution was appropriate.

He said: "Our officers are encouraged to exercise professional judgment when dealing with certain offences.

"They will take into account a number of factors such as the severity of the offences, any mitigating or aggravating factors, and whether a complaint has been received.

"They also have to look at the offender's willingness to admit guilt and show remorse. A caution is a sanction, and it is recorded."

Staffordshire Crown Prosecution Service said it was unlikely to appeal against Morris's sentence.

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