Woman hit with bar stool as "drunken yobs" disrupt pub's karaoke night

The woman had been sat at a table enjoying a night out at the White Horse pub when drunken yob Daniel Briggs threw the stool across the pub and struck her on the head.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Briggs, 32, and his rowdy friends had tried to take over the karaoke machine by grabbing the microphone off other customers and one of the drunken gang started dancing on a table.

Prosecutor Philip Adams said the group was very intimidating and Briggs became aggressive towards a member of staff who tried to calm them down.

"The group were barging into people, starting arguments and behaving aggressively," said Mr Adams.

"Customers were clearly intimidated."

When the landlord tried to calm things down Briggs, of Chapel Street North, Ovenden, continued to be aggressive and as one of his friends smashed a bottle Briggs picked up the bar stool and threw it reckessly across the room.

Mr Adams said the complainant was hit on the back of the head and suffered a cut which had to be glued by hospital staff.

The court heard she was given painkillers following treatment and had to have three days off work.

Briggs, who had dozens of previous convictions for offences including affray and wounding, was already subject to a community order and a suspended prison sentence at the time of the incident in March.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and today/yesterday he was jailed for a total of 18 months.

Recorder Toby Wynn said Briggs and his alcohol-fuelled gang had inflicted an appalling incident on people who had simply wanted a night out.

"Our city centres are becoming no-go areas for lawful citizens because of your type of behaviour," he told Briggs.

"On this occasion your mindless violence caused you to throw a bar stool and strike the head of an utterly innocent person.

"You split her head open and in my judgement that's a serious injury which could have been charged as a wounding and constitutes greater harm."

The judge described Briggs' behaviour as "pathetic" as he jailed him for 16 months for the assault with an additional two months for breaching the previous sentences.