Four men have been jailed after leaving an alleged burglar with brain damage.
Jedd Wiegold, 22, of Keeble Court Graig-Y-Rhacca, Ryan Parry, 23, of Mountain View, Caerphilly, Ojay James, 21, of Napier Street, Caerphilly, and Mark Passmore, 26, of Milton Place,Graig-Y-Rhacca, were all handed sentences of three years and four months at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday.
The four men left victim Nicky Maguire in a pool of blood in a lane after they repeatedly beat and kicked him out of revenge for an alleged burglary in which cannabis was stolen.
The attack happened on June 24 2010 after the four men spent the day searching for Mr Maguire – eventually finding him near the Court House pub in Caerphilly.
Cardiff Crown Court was told by prosecuting barrister Christian Jowlett how people inside the pub heard screaming coming from the outside boundary wall on the side of Caerphilly Castle.
A member of staff went outside and saw the man, unable to stand by himself, being held up and kicked and punched.
Wiegold, Parry, James and Passmore then drove Mr Maguire to Graig-Y-Rhacca and left him in a pool of blood near Addison Way.
Parry then called the victim’s brother in the early hours of the morning and told him where Mr Maguire was. Mr Maguire’s brother and sister went to find him and the court was told how they initially thought he was dead, so severe were his injuries.
He was rushed to the Gwent Hospital and was later taken to the Heath for an emergency craniotomy. Mr Maguire, whose fingerprint was found at a property after a break-in where cannabis was stolen, was left with brain damage and is now under the care of social services.
The four admitted charges of grievous bodily harm which had earlier been accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service. The four were originally due to go on trail over more serious charges of conspiracy to commit GBH.
Sentencing them, Judge Neil Bidder QC said: “Maguire had stolen a cache of cannabis in a burglary which then made the four of you to seek him out and punish him – which the four of you did.
“He was beaten comprehensibly and that beating involved kicking which left him in a terrible state, but I believe that was done without the intention of doing serious harm.
“He was then dumped – as a human being – dumped. That beating caused him brain damage and he is still suffering.”