Five years for Portsmouth boy who seriously assaulted man

A 16-year-old boy from Portsmouth has been sentenced to five years in a young offenders’ institute following an assault in Portsmouth.

In the early hours of Monday 23 July two separate groups of people were attacked by a group of youths near the Esso petrol station in Kingston Road in an unprovoked assault.

A 16-year-old boy hit and kicked his victim, a 44-year-old man, while he was lying on the floor unconscious and sustained multiple cuts to his face, lost two teeth and had a broken cheek bone.

On Thursday (8 Nov) the 16-year-old boy from Portsmouth was sentenced to five years in a young offender’s institute, after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent.

Detective Constable Sam Hockley said: “This was a particularly nasty, unprovoked attack, which knocked the victim unconscious and unable to talk for some time.

“I hope the sentence that this young offender has received will help the victim put the ordeal of the assault behind him.”

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Heelan said: “Tackling violence is a priority for us in Portsmouth.

“This sentence highlights the severity of this crime and I hope that it provides reassurance to our community that we will do everything in power to bring offenders to justice.”