A kind-hearted good neighbour who went to the assistance of a woman next door at her Warrington home ended up in agony with a broken ankle which later needed surgery, a court heard.
And two years after the incident the victim said his leg did not feel like his own and he was still in pain.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Tuesday that the victim had been asked by his neighbour, who was a close friend, to help remove Christopher Macnab from her house and he went round to assist her.
“He asked him calmly to leave but Macnab refused. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation he got him outside into the front garden. The defendant resisted and there was a scuffle outside,” said Simran Garcha, prosecuting.
The court heard there followed a punch from the defendant to the victim’s face which caused him to fall to the floor and in the process twisted his right ankle and he experienced excruciating pain. Another male helped him get up and took him back inside.
After the incident, which took place at about 8 pm on October 3, 2022, the victim went back to his home in Bewsey, Warrington. But the next morning he asked a friend to take him to Warrington hospital where it was found he had broken his right ankle and had swelling to his lower leg and foot, said Miss Garcha.
He had a cast put on his leg and when he went to the fracture clinic on October 13 it was decided he needed surgery to re-align the bones and during the operation four screws were inserted.
The victim was reluctant to report the matter but in March the next year after encountering Macnab he told police about the assault and Macnab was arrested in the Delves Avenue area.
In an impact statement made last October, the victim said he had not gone looking for trouble and his leg “does not feel like mine and really hurts.”
Macnab, aged 41, a Warrington man of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.
He pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to start on the basis he used more force than necessary to defend himself.
The court heard that the defendant had 68 previous convictions for 164 previous convictions including violence and dishonesty with two offences of causing grievous bodily harm and assault since the incident.
Simeon Evans, defending, said that Macnab had witnessed significant violence in his childhood home which has left him suffering from PTSD and hyper-vigilance.
His life has been blighted with heroin abuse since the age of 23 and he struggles to deal with his problems. He is now on methadone and hoping to go to a recovery house after he is released from prison.
Jailing him for ten months the judge, Recorder Michael Armstrong said he had an unenviable record and has significant drug problems, though is taking steps to address them.
He imposed a ten-year restraining order to keep away from the victim.