Council binman left with blood clot on brain and needed life-saving surgery after attack by colleague on Christmas night out

Kyle Stewart and the victim were both refuse collectors for Newcastle City Council and the workers decided to hit the town on December 10 2021 to spendtheir Christmas tips.

Newcastle Crown Court heard after an argument flared outside the Mile Castle pub in the city, Stewart, who was wearing a Santa hat, violently slammed into his workmate and knocked him to the ground.

A passer-by described "feeling sick" at the thud it made when the victim's head connected with the pavement.

The injured man was taken to the RVI with a blood clot on the brain, which needed "life saving" surgery.

He has been left with long-term nerve damage, memory loss and pain as a result of the attack and can no longer work.

Prosecutor Claire Anderson told the court Stewart left the scene but found out afterwards how badly injured his workmate was and handed himself into the police.

Miss Anderson said: "He expressed remorse and said he hadn't meant to hurt him, just get him to stop being irritating'."

Stewart, 25, of Greenlands, Jarrow, admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

Rachel Hedworth, defending, told the court: "He was absolutely horrified having been informed of the position by his employer.

"As soon as he realised he had been responsible he accepted full responsibility."

Miss Hedworth said Stewart left his job with the council after what happened but now has similar employment with a different authority.

She said the attack was "out of character".

Judge Edward Legard sentenced Stewart to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 175 hours unpaid work, rehabilitation and programmerequirements and a £3,600 compensation order.

The judge said: "Having taken a decent amount of pre-Christmas tips you decided to spent a bit of it by going into the city centre of Newcastle and getting drunk.

"There might have een a bit of a niggle on that particular bin round but nothing that he may have done to you during the course of that round can possibly excuse or condone what happened next.

"It was, no doubt, your level of intoxication that caused you to fall into argument."

Judge Legard added that a blood clot on the brain is "about as serious as you can get" and told Stewart: "When an assault such as his takes place in a citycentre there is a high risk that the individuals' head coming into contact with concrete can have the consequence of them suffering very serious injury and sometimes death.

"It was only a matter of good providence on one level that you are not facing a charge of manslaughter."