Thug jailed for horrific bottle attack that disfigured autistic man on night out

A thug has been jailed after severely disfiguring an autistic man's face before stabbing him with a glass bottle after going "berserk" on a night out.

Philip Ray, 26, from Birmingham, slashed the victim - who is also blind in one eye - in the face leaving him with a foot-long wound.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how the defendant inflicted a cut "all the way round from his mouth to the back of his neck" during the vicious assault.

Ray was jailed for 11 years and eight months after previously admitting a charge of wounding with intent, reports BirminghamLive.

Ray was jailed after a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court (BPM MEDIA)

The victim, who suffered from autism and was blind in one eye, had been on a night out with three others on September 4.

They had gone into an alleyway in the Quinton area and were drinking from bottles when they were joined by Ray, who had been on a bike.

The defendant claimed the victim had said something about his recently deceased mother, which his family has denied.

Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said Ray went "berserk" and smashed a bottle over the victim's head, knocking him to the ground.

Feeling dizzy he got up and tried to defend himself with a brick but Ray then "took the matter to a whole new level", said Mr Wallace.

He added: "He used the bottle to slash the victim in his face, with such force and with such intent that the cut went all the way round from his mouth to the back of his neck. It was over one foot."

Ray then stabbed the man in the back through his clothing.

In passing sentence Judge Richard Bond said: "You opened up a gaping wound and caused him permanent disfigurement. It could easily have endangered the victim's life.

"The impact on him has been enormous."

He said it had been an aggravating feature that Ray had committed the offence while under the influence of alcohol.

Gerald Bermingham, defending, said Ray had a number of difficulties, was of low intelligence and had gone to a special school.

He said the defendant's mother had died and earlier in the day he had scattered her ashes.

"That may have had emotional consequences for the way he behaved," he said.