A MAN who launched a brutal and unprovoked one-punch assault that left his victim needing life-saving brain surgery has been jailed for more than two years.
Liam McConnell, 29, lashed out after the victim attempted to get into a taxi that McConnell had exited in Whitehaven, Cumbria in April this year.
McConnell, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 27 months in prison at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday after he admitted a charge of Section 20 Grievous Bodily Harm.
"This was a completely unprovoked assault which has left the victim with injuries that will impact the rest of his life," said Detective Constable Benjamin Agnew.
Aggravated and agressive
The court heard that in the early hours of Sunday, April 14, McConnell and another man got out of a taxi in Whitehaven.
Seeing the taxi stop, the victim stepped towards it thinking he could use it to get home, at which point McConnell became aggravated and aggressive.
McConnell was heard to say to the man: "What the f*** do you think you're doing?"
After the victim replied that he was 'just trying to get home', McConnell punched the man in the head, knocking him onto his back.
The blow caused the victim to hit his head on the concrete and despite clearly being in need of urgent medical attention, McConnell simply walked away from the scene.
An ambulance was called and the man was rushed to West Cumberland Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
There, the victim underwent emergency brain surgery after suffering a subdural haematoma.
"Time and again we see the life-altering impact that a single punch can have – not just on the victim but the person throwing the punch," added DC Agnew.
