Man's life ruined by single punch from RL player

A BATLEY Bulldogs rugby league player punched a man in the street, causing him to strike his head on the ground and suffer a brain injury which needed life-saving surgery.

The victim of Johnny Campbell's assault had to have part of his skull removed and replaced with a titanium plate and continues to need care 14 months later, Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday.

Campbell inflicted the blow in the early hours of the morning after following Brett Garside when he left the Black Bull pub in Dewsbury town centre on November 14, 2009.

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He told police later Mr Garside was involved in an earlier incident with a friend of his in the pub when punches were thrown and he wanted to ask him about that but "cracked" him after he claimed he was called a "black bastard".

The pub landlord had walked Mr Garside across the road to make sure there was space from the other group but Campbell took a turn down a snicket and caught up with him, the court heard.

His punch to Mr Garside's face, captured on CCTV, knocked him out and he fell to the floor and hit his head on the concrete.

When he did not get up Campbell went for some of his friends and they began carrying Mr Garside up the road but police arrived, alerted by the CCTV operator and they called an ambulance for the injured man.

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At the time officers could see he had a graze on his forehead, a cut lip and a cut on the back of his head but when he got to hospital he was given a CT scan which revealed a serious head injury with bruising and bleeding around the brain.

He was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where part of the skull bone was removed to relieve the pressure on the brain. On December 6 he was moved to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield for rehabilitation and was discharged from hospital on January 12 last year.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said the injury affected Mr Garside's speech, memory and balance. He initially went to live at his mother's home because of the care needed and his problems with balance led to a broken arm when he fell on one occasion.

Eventually he had been able to move to a rented ground-floor flat where he had help from carers five days a week, with his sister and mother taking over responsibility at weekends.

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He was now impulsive and easily distracted. Previously employed valeting buses, he was no longer able to work or to visit his former wife and two children who lived in Germany, which had added to his low moods,

Campbell, 23, of Parker Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm to Mr Garside and was given a 12- month prison sentence suspended for two years with 12 months supervision, 100 hours unpaid work and told to pay 2,400 compensation to his victim.

Judge Gillian Matthews QC told Campbell the compensation could only be a "small token" towards what he had suffered. "His life has been ruined. You have caused that by your stupid mindless violence, albeit only one punch."

She said it was accepted Campbell did not intend such consequences but "that one punch could have killed him".

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The judge said: "This was a completely avoidable encounter. Whatever he said or did in the public house did not justify you waylaying in this premeditated encounter and then assault him."

Richard Vardon, for Campbell, said "It is a desperately tragic case for all concerned." He said Campbell was immediately remorseful about what had happened and those who knew the player said in references that his actions were totally out of character.

He had an excellent disciplinary record in the game, had been a good ambassador for the club and the case had been hanging over him for a considerable time.