Man attacked sex offender with hammer in Aldi car park

Joshua Lea was one of three men who attacked the victim in the Aldi car park in Haverfordwest in August.

Lea made comments to the police indicating the victim was targeted as he was a registered sex offender, adding: “I smashed a nonce”.

Prosecutor James Hartson said this was “somewhat ironic” given Lea was a twice-cautioned sex offender.

As he jailed Lea for a total of 15 months, Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant that he could have been facing eight years in prison if the victim had been seriously injured, and life with a minimum of 26 years if he had killed him.

“If that isn’t a wake-up call to young people who take weapons to the streets, I don’t know what is,” he said. “We have an epidemic of young people taking weapons out on to the streets.”

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Swansea Crown Court previously heard that the victim entered the car park at just after 4pm on Sunday, August 25 having walked through the town centre. 

There, he was assaulted by three men, and identified one of the attackers as Lea when he turned around.

Mr Hartson said the victim was hit “some 20 times to his head and twice to his face”. He knelt to try to protect himself, but Lea produced a hammer from his sock and hit him with it.

The police were called and the victim was taken to the A&E department at Withybush Hospital, however he then discharged himself.

The defendant was later arrested outside an address on Fleming Crescent, where he made the comments to the police about the victim.

Despite these comments, Lea denied the offence in interview, claiming instead that he “b**** slapped” the victim after he came at him. He accepted having the hammer on him, but denied having used it.

“The motivation of this assault is clearly revenge,” said Mr Hartson.

Lea later admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

Joshua Lea has been jailed for attacking a man with a hammer. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)

The 21-year-old, of no fixed abode, had 12 previous convictions for 27 offences, including seven for violence. The court heard that he was subject to a community order at the time of the offence.

“The courts over the years have given you one community order after another. And they have achieved absolutely nothing,” Judge Walters said.

“You yourself have recognised that this is an opportunity for yourself to change.

“For once, you are getting some structured intervention in the prison which you were not getting in the community.”

Judge Walters sentenced Lea to 12 months for the attack. He revoked the community order that Lea had been subject to, and sentenced him to an additional three months.

The victim was granted a five-year restraining order against him.