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26
Sept
Pateley man punched man he wrongly thought was going to have sex with his drunk partner
A 63-year-old Pateley Bridge man has admitted assaulting a 20-year-old man he wrongly thought was going to have sex with his partner.
Gary Gray, of Southlands, pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday (September 25).
Mel Ibbotson, prosecuting, told the court the named victim – the 20-year-old man – had been at a pub in Pateley Bridge on the night of September 5.
When the bell rang for last orders shortly after midnight on September 6, someone approached the victim and asked if he could walk an older woman home.
The victim agreed and set off with the woman, holding both her hands as they walked. She was drunk and kept saying she needed to sit down.
The woman eventually sat on the ground near some bins.
Meanwhile, Gray – the woman’s partner – was trying to find her. He had not been at the pub with her, and was walking around with a torch trying to locate her.
Ms Ibbotson said when Gray spotted the victim and his partner, he "got the wrong idea".
She added:
The defendant was shining the torch in the victim’s face and said: ‘What the hell is going?’.
Gray then punched the victim, who could not see him as the torch was shining in his eyes. The victim described the force of the punch as 8/10.
Gray told the victim to “get out of my sight”, so the victim ran to a nearby shop, where he knew people would be, and called the police.
When police arrived, Gray admitted he had assaulted the victim and made another full admission during an interview.
Ms Ibbotson said:
He told police he had been trying to call his partner and had text her but he had fallen asleep.
Gray also told police he saw his partner on the floor and the victim standing nearby, which led him to assume they were going to have sex.
“He said he punched the victim once in the face due to anger”, the court heard.
‘It’s a complicated case’
Brian Nuttney, defending, told the court it is a “complicated case”.
He said Gray was sorry for his actions and had expressed remorse.
“He says it was out of character and knows it was the wrong thing to do”, Mr Nuttney added.
He told the court:
Mr Gray said he found his partner and a man in a compromising position. It was a rush of blood and what happened, happened.
It was one strike and a very short incident.
Gray has been with his partner for 20 years, and what he saw was a “shock for him”.
“In the circumstances, you may understand his actions in context”, Mr Nuttney said.
Gray was ordered to pay a £140 fine, £50 in compensation to the victim, a £56 surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs.
After sentencing, the chair of the magistrates’ bench told Gray: “Think before you react. I know it’s difficult sometimes, but please try.”
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