A ‘PROFESSIONAL fighter’ launched a “cowardly” attack on a woman outside a pub, but was cleared of it being racially aggravated.
David Round, of Camuset Close in Hakin, was accused of attacking a woman in the car park of The Three Crowns pub in the early hours of July 2, 2022.
As she attempted to push him off of her, he was accused of biting her finger.
The 38-year-old denied the offences, telling the jury “I wouldn’t hit a woman”.
After five hours and 29 minutes of deliberations, the jury returned to find him not guilty of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Huw Rees thanked the jury, and adjourned the case until October 14 for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
Round was granted bail until that date, but Judge Rees warned him to expect a prison sentence.
The court heard that Round had previously been convicted for wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2009, and battery in 2013.
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Closing the case, prosecutor Georgia Donohue said: “We knew that Mr Round was fighting that night. That’s without doubt. He admitted it and you can see it on the CCTV.
“He acknowledged that he was very drunk, having drunk at least 10 pints and multiple shots.
“By the evidence, it seems that he was much drunker than anyone.”
Ms Donohue said that a comment made by the victim's partner “clearly got under Mr Round’s skin”.
“He was angry, he lost control of his emotions,” she said.
“The fighting starts mere seconds after Mr David Round comes out of the public house.”
The victim had given evidence that, after the fight between the defendant and her partner had been broken up, she then saw Round punch his wife in the face.
She said she went over and told him ‘You can’t do that’, after which he turned round and punched her.
The victim sustained a black eye, bruising and swelling to her face, a cut lip and a cut finger.
Round told the jury that he hadn’t attacked her. During cross-examination, defence counsel David Leathley suggested that the complainant’s injuries would have been worse had she been attacked in this way by a “professional fighter”.
“No they wouldn’t because Mr Round loses most of his fights,” the victim replied.
“The punch to the face, specifically the black eye, I would suggest that is quite a significant injury. Not one that would be caused by someone pulling two people apart,” Ms Donohue said.
Round was accused of calling the victim a “f****** black c***” and a “f****** n*****” throughout the attack – which he denied.
Mr Leathley told the jury there were inconsistencies in this part of the victim’s evidence to her statement given to police at the time. He added that Round “is not a racist” and that he had previously been in a relationship with one of the complainant’s cousins.
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