A man "lost control" and launched a violent attack on his cousin in the street during a drunken row over a lost mobile phone. The attack that happened near to Queen's Square in Wrexham was caught on CCTV.
The footage for Steven Duncan, of Bryn Hafod, attacking a family member was shown at Wrexham Magistrates Court by prosecutor Rhian Jackson.
The court heard that the 30-year-old had been out in the town centre n August, when CCTV operators noticed him attacking another man at roughly 9.10pm. The clip played in court displayed him towering over Richard Skelly - later revealed to be Duncan's cousin - as he kicked and punched him.
At one stage, the victim was thrown to the floor by Duncan. He could be seen wiping something from his nose but the full extent of his injuries were not known, the court heard.
Defending, Patrick Geddes, told the bench of magistrates that his client was drunk at the time. While explaining that it was not to be used as an excuse, he said that Duncan would "no doubt" have acted differently were alcohol not part of the equation.
He added that the men, who remain close friends despite the incident, were involved in an argument about a lost mobile phone. Duncan's anger erupted and he "lost control", the court heard.
Justice Jacqui Jones told Duncan, who admitted threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence, that he was lucky not to be facing an assault charge. She said it was "shocking" footage to watch and made "all the more horrible" by the fact his victim was a family member.
She told him: “You need to change your lifestyle dramatically.” She sentenced him to an 18-month community order along with an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag to be fitted until February 15, 2023 and £199 was added to his existing fines balance owed to the court. Ms Jones added: "You're lucky not to be going to prison today."
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