Swansea Man Jailed for Brutal Attack on Heart Patient

A Swansea Valley man has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for a vicious assault that left his 62-year-old neighbour with a broken nose and fractured eye socket.

Mathew George Jones, now of Heol Philip, Alltwen, Pontardawe, attacked his victim on Penydre Road, Clydach, on May 2 last year after the man returned home from a pool tournament at around 10.15pm.

Swansea Crown Court heard Jones “became involved in something that was not his concern” when neighbours began shouting at the victim about blocking them in. The defendant then launched an unprovoked attack, grabbing his victim by the throat and repeatedly punching him to the head “with considerable force” whilst shouting “derogatory names”.

The court was told that other neighbours standing in the street “did absolutely nothing to assist” the bleeding victim and “effectively turned a blind eye to the unlawful assault which took place before them”.

The victim, who had undergone heart surgery just four months earlier, suffered severe injuries including a seven-centimetre gash to his forehead requiring 17 stitches. He was forced to give up playing pool at representative level due to vision problems and moved away from his home of 32 years.

In his victim impact statement, the man said he felt “sick and disgusted” about what happened and was left feeling “constantly anxious and on edge”.

Judge Catherine Richards described it as a “wholly unprovoked and violent attack” on a vulnerable man. She noted Jones showed “no show of any remorse” and had “a wide range of previous convictions” including assault.

Jones was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.