A man was left battered and bruised after being attacked by another man, who threatened to kill him, at a Tesco forecourt in Poole.
David Crego had just paid for petrol on November 11 last year when he was attacked by Andrew Morgan, who punched and kicked him at the Tesco site in Tower Park. According to the Bournemouth Echo, there have been years of ill-feeling between the pair. However, at Morgan’s trial at Bournemouth Crown Court it became apparent that the pair had never actually met and their history involved a shared ex-partner.
The court learned how, at the petrol station, Morgan asked Crego if his name was Dave and when Crego said yes, Morgan said, “I heard you’re looking for me”. When Crego denied this, CCTV evidence showed Morgan punched the victim in the face which caused him to stumble. He then punched him repeatedly in the head before pushing him to the ground and kicking him in the face.
Crego suffered a black eye, swelling to his face and cuts and bruises.
The Bournemouth Echo reported that Morgan, who has numerous previous convictions for violent offences, was chastised for his “appalling criminal record” by the judge when passing sentence.
The judge said: “You attacked him, you lined him up for punches and delivered two or three significant kicks once your victim was down. Your parting shot was telling him ‘grass on me and I’ll kill you’. It was a determined attack on your victim who showed you no violence whatsoever.”
Morgan was convicted of actual bodily harm and jailed for 16 months. He was also forbidden from having any contact with Crego for 10 years.
