Broughton man's hammer attack on victim he thought had slept with his girlfriend

A man launched a hammer attack on a man he believed had been sleeping with his girlfriend.

At Mold Crown Court on Friday, Stephen Thomas Holland, 35, admitted a wounding charge – but escaped immediate imprisonment.

Judge Niclas Parry said it was a case of less said the better.

Holland, of Copper Beech Road in Broughton, received a ten-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.

Reports of a fight

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Curtis said police received a call at about 6.30pm on November 1 last year to reports of a fight outside the home of Richard Mistiades.

He saw Holland rush towards him and he was scared because he thought Holland had heard rumours that he had been sleeping with his girlfriend.

As he turned intending to run away, the victim felt two or three blows to the head with a heavy object.

There was a struggle when both fell through a hedge on to a lawn and it was then he realised Holland had a hammer.

Infidelity accusation

The defendant was on top of him accusing him of sleeping with his girlfriend.

Mr Mistiades asked his girlfriend to get help and he then defended himself. He punched and head-butted Holland to stop the attack and the defendant was restrained until the police arrived.

Phillip Clemo, defending, said there had been provocation.

Holland had convictions but not for violence and it was clear that he was injured himself.

In fact, the injuries he suffered were greater than that of the complainant.

'Least said the better'

Judge Parry said there was an unsavoury background but added: “There are some cases where the least said the better.”

He said that anybody who tried to sort out private disputes in public using weapons ‘must expected a custodial sentence’.

Holland, a working man, had pleaded guilty and it was clear he ended up with worse injuries than the complainant.

Whatever his grievance about alleged infidelity ‘it must never be resolved by you using weapons’, he said.

Wounding charge

He took into consideration that he had no previous convictions for violence and he had not been in trouble since 2014.

Holland initially denied alternative charges of wounding and wounding with intent.

But following a break in the proceedings he returned to the dock and admitted a straight wounding charge which was acceptable to the prosecution.