Calderdale man who thought he had killed victim after 'one punch' street attack jailed

Samuel Hinchliff, 30, has been sentenced to 22 months in prison after the attack in Oak Street last September.

A judge today (Monday) said there had been “bad blood” between Hinchcliff and his victim before the assault.

Prosecutor Helena Spector told Bradford Crown Court that the victim spent a number of days in a coma afterwards.

She said CCTV footage captured images of the complainant’s head hitting the ground and at hospital he was found to have suffered multiple skull fractures and a bleed on the brain.

Hinchliff, who had no previous convictions for violence, was seen discarding a soft drinks can in a bin before leaving the scene, but he later messaged his ex-partner saying he had done something stupid and thought he had killed someone.

Barrister Aubrey Sampson, for Hinchliff, said after the incident his client had gone to the pub and got drunk, but police officers were able to link the defendant to the incident after retrieving the drinks can from the bin and finding his fingerprints on it.

Two days later, they went to his home and during a search they found a knuckle-duster and some cannabis.

Hinchliff, of Oak Street in Elland, was initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent but in January the prosecution accepted his guilty plea to a less serious offence of unlawful wounding.

He admitted admitted possession of the knuckle-duster and cannabis found in his home but there was no evidence that the weapon had been used in the attack.

Mr Sampson said it had not been a planned attack and his client was not drunk at the time.

Recorder Tony Watson noted that although the injuries were very serious, the initial charge had not been proceeded with and the defendant was not being sentenced on the basis he intended to cause them.

The judge said Hinchliff had told a probation officer that he had left the scene because he was scared, but he went to pub having committed a very serious “life threatening” assault.

He said Hinchliff hadn’t called for help and knew his victim was very seriously injured when he left the scene.