A PAIR of drunken thugs who attacked a BBC reporter while he was trying to do his job have avoided going to jail.
North West Tonight journalist Paresh Patel was setting up a live broadcast in Sackville Gardens, central Manchester, when a group of drunken yobs began harassing him and his cameraman.
Two of the thugs followed Mr Patel through the city streets as he left the area, repeatedly shoving and goading him. But the yobs didn't realise Mr Patel was a black belt in karate and he finally lashed out at his attackers, knocking one of them to the ground.
CCTV footage shows how Mr Patel was forced to defend himself after a barrage of abuse and harassment.
John Nugent, 22, of Balmer Street, Beswick, and David Neville McKenna, 27, of Bardell Crescent, Poynton, punched, shoved and goaded Paresh Patel through the streets of the city centre for half an hour.
At Manchester Crown Court, the pair, who admitted charges of affray and common assault at an earlier hearing, were condemned as 'drunken louts' by Judge David Hernandez. But he chose not to jail them on the spot and handed them community orders, warning them they would go to prison if they breached them.
Speaking of the victim, he said: "He defended himself, he delivered a blow. I say good for Mr Patel. He had no reason to be subjected to that level of abuse and threat by you."
The court heard that, on the evening of September 11, Paresh and his cameraman, Steve Capstick, were trying to film a North West Tonight report about gay computer pioneer Alan Turing, who had been given a posthumous apology by Gordon Brown.
The journalists were setting up at Sackville Gardens, near where six men and women were loitering and boozing, when two of the group began jumping on the statue of Turing while trying to get themselves on TV.
When Mr Patel rang the newsroom to explain the problem, the yobs thought he was ringing the police and turned on him. Jodie Anderson, 26, who was handed a six-week suspended sentence and 12-month supervision order at an earlier hearing after pleading guilty to common assault, first chucked a pint over Mr Patel.
Then, when he tried to walk away, Nugent and McKenna started on him. As the journalist headed for Oxford Road, the louts pursued them, before Nugent punched Mr Patel in the face and split his lip.
As the intimidated BBC workers neared Princess Street, the men began swinging advertising boards at them. But, when Nugent lunged to hit Mr Patel again, the martial arts champ punched him in the face and kicked him in the groin, knocking him to the ground.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Patel said: "I am shocked and upset by what has happened. I was trying to go about my business in a peaceful way."
McKenna claimed he lashed out at Mr Patel because he called his friend 'tramps' and a 'slag' while boasting of being a Thai boxer. He was given an 18-month community and supervision order, an alcohol education programme and 140 hours' unpaid work for common assault, affray and vandalism.
Nugent had been boozing since 10am that morning after a funeral and said he couldn't remember the incident.
He was on a conditional discharge for theft at the time. He was given an intensive alternative-to-custody order for 18 months plus supervision, ordered to attend an anger-management programme and given unpaid work for 80 hours.
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good on the BBC reporter for defending himself. it'll teach these louts to think twice before attacking someone again
That says a lot about the state of this nation. BROKEN !!
You have got to be kidding! These street trash harassed members of the public, used threatening and abusive behaviour....drunk and disorderly, physical assault, yet there is no custodial sentence????
What is going on here, why is the judge so lenient??
This kind of 'judgement' sends out the message that it is acceptable to harass the public because if you get caught you'll get some free treatment and some work experience. (Which will look good on the otherwise blank cv's of these trash, because the likelihood of them having done any legitimate work is slim)
Good for Mr Patel standing up to these drunken thugs
Well further prove the judges are out of touch.
Mr Patel, I'd like to shake your hand! I would have loved to have seen the look on their eyes when you fought back. Hopefully this pair will re-offend soon and be inside for Christmas.
And having watched the video, what a pair of fairies! I noticed when one was floored, the other backed off. And when he was floored again, he was less provoking. And 10 out of 10 to GMP for handling the pair like the scabby dogs they are.
Probably won't be long before these toe rags are back before the courts for the same thing. Nice one Mr. Patel.
What a weak sentence. These people need locking up. They will only do it again and again.
Its no wonder people like this are on our streets when the threat of jail is not there. This judge should be removed, along with all the other judges who seem to be on the criminals side.
I only have one criticism of Mr Patel,he did not hit the Yob hard enough or enough times.
Well done Sir.
Great. Pity he didn't kick him when he was down. What were those three idiots doing in town anyway - spending their giro?
Manchester - what an embarrassing place to live these days.
Wonderful punch Mr Patel...went down like a sack of spuds.
Good on Mr Patel, just a shame that they didn't get a custodial sentence.
Inner city Manchester is crawling with idiots like this pair but they rarely make it as far as the city centre in daylight hours!
Second thoughts about moving to Manchester, eh BBC?
What utterly shameful & embarrassing images.
Well done Mr Patel! You should have finished him when he was down though. Sod these street rats and sod the BNP while we're at it.
I don't know what's more depressing, the idiots in this story or the thickos commenting on it.
Judges operate according to sentencing guidelines which exist to ensure that people convicted of similar crimes get similar sentences. Trying to place the blame on the judge because you don't like the sentencing guidelines is stupid and ill-informed.
Black flag - a quick search on the internet will reveal that a MAXIMUM Sentence for common assault is six months in prison, ergo the judges had this option, so why did the judge not use his power. So mine and other comments stand. So I take offence at you calling me stupid. I along with others are calling for zero tolrance on the thugs ruling our streets. Teach them a lesson using the full force of the law - is that so stupid and ill informed as you carefully put it Black flag? Further more did you know the maximum sentence for affray is MAXIMUM five years, so again Black flag why did the judge not use the full powers of sentencing?
Black Flag: your posts used to be informative, well argued and occasionally amusing. These days you seem to spend most of your time slagging off the other posters and, by default, crowing about your own superior waltenshauung. Get of your pedestal, it's marking the high horses coat.
One last thing - make sure all people convicted of this crime get the full maximum sentence. Then theres no problem of ensuring each case gets the same amount of porridge.
I'm not normally a hang-and-birch advocate, but on the evidence of the video, this sentence hardly seems a sufficient punishment or deterrent.
I'm booking my karate lessons this week.
Brilliant! Glad they got cuaght by police.
He can obviously handle himself, he should have took him out the first time he started bothering him.
Well done Mr Patel, he had it coming to him.
Nice to see so many people helping him out...
Why was the judge so soft. Should have given them 3yrs each, that may have detered them from doing that sort of thing again. I praise Mr. Patel he did the right thing. I too am a Black belt, they are lucky that it was not me. I would have thrown several punches.
Beswick and Poynton. Probably City fans
NIce one! glad to see a good ending to some scrotes, this should be shown on one of those police camera action programs.
Who did that lad think he was with his arms stretched out, I noticed as soon as the reported started retaliating, they both backed off, cowards! Two on one and they were the ones who backed away.