Father and son jailed over brutal attack in Scunthorpe town centre

A father and son chased a man through Scunthorpe town centre and began kicking and punching him as he lay on the ground in front of shocked customers.

CCTV footage of the brutal attack on the High Street was shown at Grimsby Crown Court, where father Andrew Daly, 45, and son Kian Daly, 18, both of no fixed address, admitted fighting. They were jailed by Judge Richard Woolfall who said members of the public were “sick and tired of seeing violence in the city centre”.

He said the violence was said to have arisen following incidents of bullying by the victim, but added: “That is no excuse for this kind of violence. It has a profound impact on people deciding whether or not to go out.”

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The judge said he was aware of the overcrowding in prisons and the lack of space. However, he added: “But it is so serious that only a prison sentence is appropriate. Kicking someone to the ground when they are in a vulnerable position can only be punished with an immediate prison sentence.”

Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, described the build-up to the brawl captured on CCTV as the father and son identified the victim in the street and chased him at about 4.20pm on April 2 this year. They pursued him along the High Street to the NatWest bank and William Hill bookmakers, where they fired a volley of punches at the victim.

He fell to the ground and was beaten continuously. Then he was kicked repeatedly. A passerby intervened and the two attackers fled.

CCTV footage showed the young victim bleeding from the mouth and receiving first aid from staff at a nearby Admiral casino and Greggs.

Mr Shipley said security guards from The Tavern pub spoke to Humberside Police officers when they arrived to identify the suspects. They were arrested at 5pm. The prosecutor said Kian Daly had eight convictions for 16 offences. He breached a community order for aggravated vehicle theft last year.

The father had 53 convictions for 146 offences, including a breach of a conditional discharge imposed in March this year, just days before the brawl.

For Andrew Daly, Craig Lowe said his client had a bad record of offending, mainly due to dishonesty. He said he suffered from anxiety and depression and alcohol abuse. For Kian, Benjamin Bell said his client found his first taste of custody while awaiting sentencing “horrible”.

“He will do everything he can not to return because he is stuck for 24 hours,” he said.

Judge Woolfall said he hoped it would be a lesson not to commit crimes in the future. “You are going to endure the grim conditions of prison. If you keep committing crimes you will get more and more of them. I hope that is not the case,” he said.

He sentenced the son to a total of 47 weeks for the offence and for the violation. The father was given 47 weeks in prison.