A COVENTRY youth glassed a graduate in the face for being ‘smug’.
Beforehand, he had berated his victim, a yacht designer who was celebrating with his girlfriend following his graduation.
A CCTV recording from the bar they were in showed Mason Aldridge, unperturbed by what he had just done, then calmly saunter out.
Fortunately for both him and his victim, who suffered small wounds to both lips and a broken tooth, the glass did not smash, saving him from jail.
Aldridge (18) of Lilac Avenue, Coundon, Coventry, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court to 12 months in custody suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
Recorder Kevin Hegarty QC expressed concern that in his pre-sentence report Aldridge ‘advances a version of throwing a drink over someone, not throwing a glass.’
Aldridge had pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously wounding victim Mark Hopper.
Playing a CCTV recording, prosecutor Lal Amarasingh told the judge: “You will see a hand pointing towards the complainant, who is sitting down with his girlfriend.
“The defendant stands up and hits him to the face with a glass, then just strolls out. It was not Mr Aldridge’s glass, it was the complainant’s glass that he picked up.”
But Anthony Cartin, defending, said: “His case has always been that he never intended the glass to come into contact with Mr Hopper’s face.”
Mr Amarasinghe said that on November 16 last year Mr Hopper and his partner went to the Phoenix pub in Coventry.
When they sat down at a table, Aldridge, who was sitting to his left, began gesticulating and calling him ‘smug,’ telling his girlfriend she needed to ‘sort him out.’
The CCTV recording showed Mr Hopper turning to listen to what he was saying for a while, before turning back to continue talking to his girlfriend.
“Mr Hopper recalls the defendant leaning across him, snatching his pint glass and smashing it to his face.
“Mr Hopper’s girlfriend was screaming,” added Mr Amarasinghe.
Sentencing Aldridge, Recorder Hegarty also ordered him to pay £1,000 to Mr Hopper to compensate him for his injury and cover the cost of dental work he needs.
He told Aldridge both he and Mr Hopper were fortunate the glass did not break – or he would not have been able to suspend the sentence.
