Lout who scarred a man for life outside a Wigan pub is jailed

Dwain Swann rained blows down on James Taylor as he lay curled up on the ground trying to protect himself, then slashed him across the side of the head during an unprovoked attack, Bolton Crown Court heard.

The victim, who was attacked outside the Globe pub at Standish on January 31 last year, suffered a deep gash to the right hand side of his temple which was 4ins in length, the hearing was told.

An artery had been severed which prevented the bleeding from stopping and the wound had to be stitched from inside.

Mr Taylor now has a permanent scar on his right eyebrow.

Swann, 31, of Queensway in Whitley, had initially been charged with intending to cause James Taylor grievous bodily harm which he denied but did plead guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful wounding which the prosecution accepted.

He also admitted to being armed with a bladed weapon and breaching bail by not observing a tagged curfew as ordered by a judge.

Swann was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The hearing was told that at 10.30pm that night the victim was getting into the passenger seat of a car outside the Globe on High Street, Standish when Swann and another man ran towards the vehicle.

It was heard that the other, unnamed man, has an issue with Mr Taylor but he did not carry out the attack.

Mr Taylor got into the car and closed the door but Swann wrenched it open, pointed a knife with a 6ins blade at him before dragging him to the ground and attacking him.

The victim felt thumping pains in his back four or five times and then found blood was pouring from his head.

It was not clear how the blows to his back were delivered but it was the slash to his head that caused the greatest damage, the court was told.

When interviewed, Swann initially denied the crime then would simply only say “no comment.”

After admitting the crime, it was surmised in court that he thought he was doing his unnamed friend a favour.

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