Tewkesbury dad attacked cyclist with wrench

An angry Tewkesbury dad whose daughter was injured when she was hit by a bike stormed into the cyclist's house and attacked him with a tyre wrench, a court heard.

Lee Hicks, 34, of Sallis Close, Northway, was "extremely irate" and upset after his daughter had to be put on a spinal board following the accident, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

Hicks mistakenly believed the cyclist, Gary Turner, had ridden away from the scene, callously leaving his daughter injured on the ground, said Martin Steen, prosecuting.

The barrister outlined the case to the court after accepting Hicks' denial of a charge of wounding Mr Turner with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on March 30 this year.

Hicks pleaded guilty to a less serious charge of unlawfully wounding Mr Turner.

Mr Steen said: "On March 30, Mr Hicks' daughter suffered some injury as a result of some bad riding by the victim Gary Turner.

"Mr Hicks understood his daughter was injured and that the person responsible had left the scene.

"In fact, Mr Turner had stayed with the child to ensure her well being, until she was taken into a house which he wrongly thought was her own home.

"When the defendant heard that his daughter had been put on a spinal board as a matter of caution, he was extremely irate and upset.

"Learning where Mr Turner lived, he indicated he was intending to do Mr Turner some harm.

"He turned up there having taken into his possession some sort of tyre wrench.

"The door of the house was opened by Mr Turner senior. Mr Hicks was still irate. He went in and struck Gary Turner on the head. The blow, happily, was a glancing one.

"There was no fracture but there was a blow to the side of the head, which resulted in very considerable bleeding. There was also an injury to the bridge of the nose where Mr Turner was wearing glasses.

"He also had a cut to the front side of the head, which bled quite seriously.

"Having struck that blow, Mr Hicks then left the premises and subsequently surrendered himself to the police, acknowledging he had struck Mr Turner."

James Cranfield, defending, asked for a pre-sentence report on Hicks before he is sentenced.

Recorder Llewellyn Sellick agreed and bailed Hicks till December 4 for a report to be prepared. He told Hicks "This offence is a serious matter. I have to warn you that although I am going to adjourn sentence, all sentencing options – including custody – remain open to the judge. Striking someone with a tyre lever is plainly a serious matter, which may warrant custody."