Drunken yob deserves to suffer in jail
A YOB jailed for hurling a drain cover through a car window, narrowly missing a little girl, deserves all he gets.
The gran of the girl who was inches from death says she is pleased he is behind bars.
Benjamin Butler, of Northumberland Avenue, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, was jailed for eight months at Newcastle Crown Court after admitting carrying out the violent spree last October.
Thug Butler, 28, had already assaulted two people when he hurled the drain cover at grandmother Wendy Hart’s car.
It smashed through Mrs Hart’s back windscreen and landed inches from her four-year-old granddaughter Ella, covering her with shards of glass. Luckily Ella escaped without injury but, Mrs Hart said, Butler’s violent recklessness has had far-reaching effects.
Mrs Hart, who is married to George, also 44, and has three children Leanne, 26 – Ella’s mother – Ashleigh, 22, and George, 18, said: “It was a Saturday and we had been at a family Halloween party and had a great time. But it was late so I was taking Ella home and she was asleep in her chair on the back seat.
“I pulled in to reverse on to the drive at the back of the house and heard a noise. My fence is often damaged by people so I went to see everything was OK. There were a few people but they weren’t nearby so I went back to the car and was about to pull in when there was a huge crash.
“I thought it was me and I didn’t know what was going on. Ella woke up and then I looked around and saw the drain cover in the car inches from her. Then Butler was at the window shouting all kinds of abuse at me and then he punched me.”
After that, Butler walked away and Mrs Hart was left alone.
She said: “I picked Ella up and there was glass all over her. I could feel it and I didn’t want to hold her too closely in case it cut her, but I couldn’t leave her where she was.
“It was in her sleeves and her hair. It was everywhere.
“The drain cover buckled the parcel shelf at the back and was inches from Ella.
“It was so heavy it took two people to get it out of the car. If it had hit her I doubt she would have had a chance. At the least, she would have been seriously injured.”
Mrs Hart said Ella, a keen tap and ballet dancer, who is now five, still mentions the night a year on.
She said: “She doesn’t like going in the car anymore and if it’s dark when we go out she asks if the nasty man is going to come back.
“And she won’t stay in the car if I am reversing it into the drive. It is a shame because she is such a happy and sociable little girl.
“If it was up to me he would have got a lot longer but I’m pleased he’s got a custodial sentence at least.”
The court heard before turning his attentions to Mrs Hart, Butler had attacked strangers Mark and Alan Wilson with a piece of fence.
He then kicked a woman’s car twice. At Newcastle Crown Court, he admitted three assaults and one count of criminal damage.
Jailing him, Judge Tony Lancaster, said: “You must have been seriously affected by the alcohol you consumed because not only did you claim to have no memory of what took place but you also set about wreaking damage and injury upon four innocent people whom you had never met before.”
Paul Caulfield, defending, said: “He could not believe he was capable of such events, he is genuinely remorseful.”
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2007/10/08/drunken-yob-deserves-to-suffer-in-jail-72703-19914945/
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