Halifax man suffered horrific head injury after refusing to hand over a cigarette

Angry Julian Dillon repeatedly pushed his victim in the chest after his request was rejected.

As the man tried to walk away, the 53-year-old heroin-user chased after him and pushed him again from behind.

Prosecutor Philip Adams told Bradford Crown Court that the victim was pushed forcefully by Dillon and as he fell, his head struck the tyre rim of a parked car in Lister Court, near Pellon Lane.

“He sustained an horrific triangular wound to his head,” said Mr Adams.

“He was bleeding heavily from that wound and blood was pouring out onto the pavement.”

The man was helped by a member of the public, who called an ambulance. At hospital, he needed 30 stitches.

Mr Adams said the injury was to a prominent area of the victim’s head and he had been told he may be scarred for the rest of his life.

Dillon, of Union Street South, Halifax, left the scene when the police arrived. Following his arrest an hour later, he said he couldn’t remember anything about the tea-time assault in June last year because he was drunk.

The court heard that Dillon had 87 previous convictions for more than 150 offences, including nine previous offences of assault, and at a hearing in July he pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawful wounding.

He was jailed for 18 months after Judge Ahmed Nadim said the photograph of the victim’s injury made for “very disturbing viewing”.

Barrister Jeremy Barton, for Dillon, said the case involved a “reckless, ridiculous act” by his client which had led to a terrible injury being caused.

He suggested that the complainant may have struck his head on a very sharp edge of the alloy wheel and said Dillon could never have imagined the terrible injury that would result.

“He’s sincerely remorseful for his actions and if he could he wishes to apologise to the complainant,” said Mr Barton.

When the Courier reported the attack at the time, the victim’s sickened family shared their concern and urged anyone with information about what happened to contact police.