A singer launched an unprovoked attack on a man in a Swansea pub in what his barrister described as a “moment of sheer stupidity”. Ricky Lewis’ victim has been left with a scar in the middle of the forehead as a result of the assault.
The 34-year-old defendant – well-known on the live music and events circuit in the Swansea area – initially refused to take part in a police identification procedure but later admitted his guilt. He was handed a suspended sentence and ordered to pay his victim £1,000 compensation.
Swansea Crown Court heard the assault happened in the city centre Cross Keys pub on the evening of July 2 last year. The victim, Perry Plowman, was in the beer garden of the Princess Way pub while the defendant was in the bar. The court heard that at around 9pm Mr Plowman entered the pub and as he did so Lewis approached him and began throwing punches, with one making contact with the victim’s face. Members of staff intervened to restrain Lewis and Mr Plowman, who was bleeding heavily from the facial wound, was led away.
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The court heard that Lewis attended a voluntary police interview in August where he answered “no comment” to all questions asked. He was subsequently invited to take part in an identification procedure but declined.
In an impact statement which was read to the court Mr Plowman said the scar on his face was “constant reminder” of what happened. He said the unprovoked assault had affected him physically and psychologically, and said he was fearful of being followed and had changed his walk to work to avoid the area where the attack happened. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
Ricky Lee Lewis, of The Strand, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has eight previous convictions for 12 offences including affray and a domestic-related ABH. His last conviction was in 2019 for falling to provide a specimen for analysis.
Hywel Davies, for Lewis, said alcohol was a feature of the Cross Keys offence as it had been of much of the defendant’s previous offending but he said they were his instructions that his client had not drunk since the assault and “feels the better for it”. He described the incident as a “moment of sheer stupidity” and said while the offending crossed the custody threshold he was inviting the court to find the sentence could be suspended. He said Lewis had a teenage daughter and was a father figure to his partner’s daughter, and he said without his support his family stood to lose their accommodation.
Recorder Christian Jowett said on the basis of everything he had read and heard about the defendant he was “satisfied, just” that he could suspend the sentence that was due. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Lewis was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and do 225 hours of unpaid work in the community. The singer must also pay his victim £1,000 compensation at the rate of £100 per month.
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