Team manager jailed for attack on wife's friend

JUNIOR football club manager Paul Buxton has been jailed after he beat up a man in a car before he could even take off his seatbelt.

The 35-year-old, of Bexhill Grove, Northwood, who manages a Smallthorne Juniors team, went to visit his wife Samantha at her home in Mallorie Road, Norton, on June 13.

Prosecutor Philip Beardwell told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday that the defendant separated from his wife in April last year and at the time of the offence was reconciling with her.

Buxton believed his wife's friend Lee Cookson was no longer on the scene and was surprised when he pulled up outside her home shortly after midnight.

Mr Beardwell said: "The defendant approached Mr Cookson to challenge him verbally about his relationship with his wife.

"As he approached he lost his temper. He opened the driver's door, removed the key and threw it in the road.

"He shouted at him to stay away from his wife and then punched and kicked him to the face and body while he was still in the vehicle."

Buxton kicked Mr Cookson when he was unconscious and attempted to drag him out the car.

Mr Beardwell added: "The defendant damaged all four doors on the car and caused damage to other parts of the vehicle.

"He only stopped when others became present in the street. He tried to stop them calling the police by removing their mobiles and throwing them away."

Mr Cookson was left with bruising and haemorrhaging to his eye and bruising and swelling to his chest.

Buxton, who has previous convictions for violence, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage at an earlier hearing.

Stephen Oldham, mitigating, said at the time of the offence Buxton's relationship with his wife was being resurrected and, as far as he knew, Mr Cookson was no longer in the picture.

He said Buxton was very surprised when Mr Cookson turned up and his temper got the better of him.

"He does not seek to justify his actions and seeks to apologise to Mr Cookson for the violence," he said.

Mr Oldham added that Buxton, a quantity surveyor, was spoken of highly by others involved with the junior football team.

But Judge Granville Styler said it was a very serious assault and jailed Buxton for a year.

He told him: "You completely lost your temper and this attack was sustained upon a man who did not even have the opportunity to take his seatbelt off.

"Two witnesses describe it as a frenzied attack. One said you could have killed him."

Buxton will serve up to half the sentence, with the rest on licence.