Violence flared after a man wearing a pink baseball cap was verbally abused as he walked to a restaurant – and he was later beaten unconscious next to a children’s play area. Dillan Billaney shouted: “You look a right d***head” to which his victim replied: “This is worth more than anything you are wearing” – and Billaney responded with: “Do you know who I am?”
Billaney, 31, and co-accused Michael Thompson, 41, both of Ploughman’s Gardens, Woodmansey, near Beverley, each admitted causing grievous bodily harm to a man on March 1. Adrian Strong, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the victim was walking to the Tomahawk restaurant in Flemingate, Beverley, at about 3.45pm when a group of men were standing outside The Firepit bar after watching football on TV.
Billaney commented on his cap and there was an exchange of words. The victim later continued to a restaurant but returned to the bar where the two men “squared up”.
Staff in the bar tried to intervene before the two men walked away on to Armstrong Way. A witness saw Billaney holding on to the victim’s clothing and punching him. Moments later, Thompson arrived. A witness saw him “either kick or knee him to the face”. The victim fell backwards and hit his head.
The scene was next to a children’s play area, which was busy with families enjoying a Sunday afternoon, the court heard. A security guard from nearby Flemingate intervened and the two attackers left the scene.
The victim was taken to Hull Royal infirmary for treatment for a bleed on his brain and fractured skull. Surgeons had to remove a blood clot. He was in hospital for nine days.
The two attackers were later identified through CCTV images from the scene and arrested a few days later. They denied the offence in interviews.
The victim had no memory of what happened but he was worried about reprisals and wanted to move away from the area. Billaney had convictions for 17 previous offences, five of which were for violence.
He was jailed for three years for wounding in 2023. Thompson had convictions for 26 offences, including affray.
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Billaney was genuinely remorseful and regretted his actions. He worked in construction and relied on alcohol to ease his problems. “When he is off the drink, he is a completely different person,” said Miss Scott.
James O’Connor, representing Thompson, said that the defendant was “embarrassed and deeply remorseful”. He had worked in scaffolding for 20 years and had been out of trouble for five years.
Judge Richard Woolfall said the incident was near a children’s play area visited by many families. “He was lucky to survive,” said Judge Woolfall. “In other cases, people end up dying.
“He was fortunate thanks to the excellent medical care that Hull Royal Infirmary were able to provide to him.” The defendants had been on remand in custody since March.
Billaney and Thompson were both jailed for two years. Judge Woolfall said that, due to their time on remand, they might be released before the end of the year.
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