Chesterfield thug punched and knocked woman out cold at Crooked Spire

Declan Webster, 33, left one of the woman with a cracked skull, two black eyes and a broken nose – while the other victim was left with swelling to the face a displaced tooth.

Judge Robert Egbuna told Webster “you’re a big man and delivered a punch which knocked her unconscious – you’re lucky her injuries were not more serious”.

Derby Crown Court heard the two women were walking home through the Spire grounds on November 14 last year when they were approached by Webster.

Prosecutor Eunice Opare-Addo said a row broke out between the defendant and the two women as they tried to dissuade one of their friends from going home with him.

She said: “He punched (one of the women) to the face, causing her to fall backwards and hit her head on the church walk. She lost consciousness.”

"(The other victim) tried to grab the defendant to prevent him from leaving and there was a scuffle – he punched the right side of her face and caused her to fall to the floor.”

As well as swelling to the face the court heard she was left with a displaced tooth – which still affects her to this day.

In a victim impact statement one of the women described how was now “petrified” of going out and running into Webster.

Webster, formerly of Spital Lane, Chesterfield, appearing via video link from HMP Lincoln, admitted assault by beating and assault with ABH.

The court heard Webster was on bail for assaulting his former partner the previous July and was awaiting sentence for a notorious drunken dangerous driving offence at the time of the Crooked Spire incident.

Denney Lau, defending said Webster had started “drinking to excess” and was facing losing his child and his former partner “as a result of his behaviour”.

He said said the defendant had attended alcohol awareness courses while in prison and was now in contact with his ex-partner and child again.

Mr Lau added: “When he is released from custody he plans to reside with his parents and get back into employment.”

Judge Egbuna told Webster he had an “inability” to control his temper.

He said: “It’s not an excuse that you had been driving dangerously with your son in the car with you – as a result of that you decided to turn to drink.

"It should have brought you to your senses but instead you chose to assault women.

"Not surprisingly the group who were concerned about their friend tried to prevent her going home with you – bearing in mind your general attitude to women it’s not surprising.

"You resorted to punching (one of the women) in the face – you left her with extremely blackened eyes.”

Noting Webster had an “appalling” record for violence, the judge jailed him for 14 months consecutively to his current jail term.

In February this year Webster was jailed for 16 months after crashing into the side of a lorry while racing in his car with Chesterfield brothers Michael and Robert Bower.

He had drunk seven pints of lager in the lead up to the crash and had his three-year-old son in his car at the time.

He also received a concurrent jail term for assaulting his former partner twice and smashing up her home assaulting is own sister while awaiting sentence for the driving offence.

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