An alcohol-fuelled thug boasted to terrified onlookers after smashing a can of beer in a man’s face in an unprovoked attack.
Liam Nield, 33, had been out drinking in a working men’s club in Oldham when he ran into the victim, who asked if he was his friend’s son.
There was a short exchange before they parted ways, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
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However, when the man and his girlfriend decided to leave, they briefly met Nield, of Oldham, who then punched the window of her car parked outside.
She asked him to stop, which he did briefly, before launching a can of San Miguel at the man, rendering him unconscious.
He then ‘stamped’ on him three times while he lay motionless on the ground.
As his partner tried to move him away, he shouted: “”I’m f****** Liam Nield, you’ll remember me!”
Pleading guilty to wounding with intent and criminal damage, Nield was jailed for four years and four months, of which he will have to serve two thirds in prison.
The court heard that at around 4pm on October 30 last year, the victim and his partner were at the Compton Working Mens Club celebrating his birthday.
They briefly spoke to Nield, and then his partner saw him later on when he asked her for a cigarette, but she ignored him.
Andrew MacKintosh, prosecuting, said he was described by onlookers as ‘bouncy’ and at one stage he said to one of the members of staff: “You think you are laughing, lets go outside”.
After last orders were called, the victim and his partner decided to leave, and were outside chatting to others when Nield joined them
He removed a can of beer from his pocket, before placing it down by the side of the car.
“He went to hit the vehicle, but the (victim’s) partner stopped him and told him he shouldn’t be doing that as it’s her vehicle,” the prosecutor said.
“He then picked up the can and struck (the victim) in the face with it causing him to fall to the floor.
“The defendant then stamped on him three times as he was lying unconscious on the floor.
“His partner pushed Nield away as he shouted: “I want a drink and a f****** cig, somebody better sort it out.” He then said: “I’m f****** Liam Nield, you’ll remember me”.
Another man tried to calm him down but he was shouting saying he had a gun, saying he knew where he lived and he was going to burn his house down.
The victim sustained a 2cm cut to his eye, the court heard.
Police attended, and after watching the CCTV footage of the incident they recovered a San Miguel beer can nearby which contained traces of Nield’s DNA.
In a victim personal statement, the victim said he was still in pain, and even the sound of dogs barking was painful.
He said he had recently been employed as a welder but couldn’t wear a mask due to the injury to his eyebrow, and was worried about being in trouble at work.
His partner said she has suffered flashbacks and is anxious about going out in public.
Previous convictions
Nield was said to have 21 previous convictions for 34 offences.
These included five offences of battery, two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one for affray and two offences of wounding.
The court heard that in February 2016, Nield had been drinking at a bedsit with a couple of friends following a night out in Northampton, when the victim came downstairs and asked him to keep the noise down.
Nield became aggressive and bit a ‘chunk’ out of his ear.
A couple of months later in April 2016, a man crossed the road when he saw Nield fighting with another group of male to ‘get away’.
However, Nield followed him and punched him to the jaw.
Mitigating, Matthew Curtis said: “He insists he had not gone out looking for trouble and whatever misunderstanding there was it was on his shoulders.
“He was intoxicated and that caused him to behave in a frankly despicable way.”
He added that his client has anger management issues which are limited to when he is drinking alcohol.
Sentencing, Judge John Potter said this was an ‘unprovoked attack’, which left the victim with a permanent scar.
He added that the CCTV footage showed a ‘mindless piece of violence’ which was ‘sudden and quite shocking’.
“Your record of violent offending you are perpetrating against wholly innocent victims appears to be getting worse,” he said.
Nield, of Belgrave Road, was sentenced under the ‘dangerous offender’ provisions to 52 months imprisonment with an extended licence period of 26 months.
As he was led to the cells, Nield called the judge a ‘n***e’ and ‘dirty old pervert'.
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