Wine bar customer jailed for bottle attack on stranger

Leeds Crown Court was told yesterday Paul Ive's actions were captured on closed circuit TV which showed him standing at the bar in Yates Wine Lodge, Leeds and looking across at his victim, Martin Hawkshaw, who was at a table with friends.

He was then seen to empty the remains from a bottle of wine into a tray at the bar, walk over to Mr Hawkshaw and strike him three blows with it.

He then fled, pursued by friends of Mr Hawkshaw, who received treatment in hospital for two large cuts to the back of his head.

Susannah Proctor, for Ive, told the court he was heavily in drink and could not remember the incident or why he had done it.

"He is extremely ashamed of his behaviour and unable to provide any explanation." She said Ive was a former publican and the behaviour was totally out of character for him.

Ive, 45 of Lidgett Towers, Leeds, admitted assault on April 3.

Sentencing him Judge Rodney Grant said the CCTV showed him walking over and striking "a perfect stranger" three times with the bottle.

"Fortunately the injuries caused were not very serious – that was luck rather than anything else because what you did could have caused very serious injuries indeed."

But the judge said the incident had other consequences since Mr Hawkshaw had suffered psychological effects.