Vicious attack – just because trio looked at man as he parked at pub
A MAN with a history of violence carried out a frenzied and sustained attack on three complete strangers – because they looked in his direction.
David Dowler, 23, launched the "truly shocking" assault after his victims looked at him when he drove at speed into a North Somerset pub car park.
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David Dowler
He got out of his vehicle at the Full Quart pub in Hewish and attacked the pub's manager Lee Thorne, his wife Helen and his mother Angela.
The trio had been innocently moving items between cars in the car park when they looked over at Dowler on October 31 last year, Bristol Crown Court.
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After attacking his victims in a prolonged and unprovoked assault, he collected an iron bar from his car and smashed the front and back windscreens of Mr Thorne's car.
Mrs Thorne suffered two fractured ribs as she was pushed or thrown to the floor by Dowler and left emotionally traumatised by the incident, prompting her to move out of the pub where she was working.
Mr Thorne, who was kicked across the body by Dowler as he lay defenceless on the ground, claimed the attack led to him suffering hearing loss.
Dowler, of no fixed abode, admitted causing grievous bodily harm to Mrs Thorne, actual bodily harm to Mr Thorne and causing criminal damage. He was acquitted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Thorne following a trial.
Richard Posner, prosecuting, said Mrs Thorne had been left psychologically scarred by the attack.
He said: "She has had to move home to be closer to her friends and family. She can't get what he did to her out of her mind. She has no idea why he did what he did and took it out on her family. She found watching her son being attacked very difficult to live with."
Mr Posner said Dowler had 14 convictions for 36 previous offences over the last eight years, including battery, a road rage assault, actual bodily harm, possessing a knife and smashing up a car with a baseball bat while people were inside the vehicle.
Bernard O'Brien, mitigating, said his client had "severe" trouble controlling his temper. He said he had been examined by a psychiatrist and that the probation service believed he had "turned a corner" and was making plans for the future.
Recorder James Watson QC, who jailed Dowler for 18 months, said Dowler had carried out the attack while stressed having split up with his girlfriend. He said the attack was "mindless, vicious, sustained and frightening", and that it was fortunate more serious harm was not caused.
During the trial, Dowler admitted he had been unable to fully control his body during the attack and had suffered "a sort of out-of-body experience".
Comments
by DownByLaw
Thursday, July 12 2012, 8:20PM
“It could be worse at least Judge 'one more chance' Hagen wasn't sitting for this one.”
by crazy_golfer
Thursday, July 12 2012, 3:53PM
“Ok you've had "a sort of out-of-body experience" you will now suffer a long "body in prison experience". What a complete waste of space..”
by WhiteKnight
Thursday, July 12 2012, 2:21PM
“Another suggestion. Take him out to Helmand Province. Show him the enemy and tell him "They're all looking at you!"”
by Vonner
Thursday, July 12 2012, 10:26AM
“Curtis - not quite sure what you mean by your response to me. What has 18th century life got to do with this, shouldn't we have evolved a bit more since then?
I'm really just saying that in general today there appear to be more people ready to use a level of violence completely over the top to the issue.
For example I'm sure we have all had disagreements with others road users, but we don't all start attacking another car with an iron bar just because we get cut up.”
by goldisgod
Thursday, July 12 2012, 9:06AM
“@BristolPete
Keep your EDL s---e to the relevent stories, please do not ruin these ones as well”
by harryreg_uk
Thursday, July 12 2012, 8:13AM
“like I said before "alananlyn", like the loon in OC, someone has to be killed before anything happens
and WhiteNight, you must be clairvoyant, read this (when you're sitting down) - http://tinyurl.com/d8zbtg2
how long before this is a child?”
by allananlyn
Wednesday, July 11 2012, 10:11PM
“it makes me sick when a man with such an history of violence is repeatedly let out of prison to commit more violence upon innocent people,,,who the hell decides these people are no longer a danger because clearly some one has ****** up,,,, this man should rot in jail,, but i have no doubt he will be roaming free in the next year or 2, feeling sorry for himself,,, saying hes hard done by because no one will give him another chance”
by bristollil
Wednesday, July 11 2012, 9:48PM
“This man does not require the services of Broadmoor. He needs to be incarcerated for a very long time in a high security prison with a good,lengthy minimum sentance.
Don't be misled that he may be mentally ill. He is a violent aggressive thug.
Some people should remember:
Not all violent people are mentally ill,
Not all the mentally ill are violent.
Some people are just evil, pure and simple.”
by ceembee
Wednesday, July 11 2012, 8:37PM
“People like this psychopathic individual should not be on the streets. All involved in the case from magistrate, defence and probation should be ashamed of themselves and, when this man kills, as he undoubtably will, I hope they get locked up too. This man is heading for Broadmoor or somewhere similar and the sooner this happens the better for society. CPS should be referring this to appeal the pathetic sentence. Isn't it remarkable that the corner turned is always after the event & just before yet another court appearance?”
by Banjo9
Wednesday, July 11 2012, 8:31PM
“Bristol pete you are a p---k !
this is one of the travelling community plenty around Hewish”