A ‘PROLIFIC’ violent offender from Winsford has been jailed for 12 months after he knocked a man unconscious and shattered his jaw with several punches.

Harry Ellwood, 20, from Crook Lane, went out in Winsford ‘looking for trouble’ on April 1, a judge said, and found it in the Top House pub in Wharton Road.

Ellwood appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, May 27, where he was sent to a young offender’s prison for grievous bodily harm after pleading guilty at a previous hearing.

The court heard that Ellwood, who had breached his anti-social behaviour order by being in the pub, approached Ryan Hammill, 24, who was out with his girlfriend, and held a conversation which quickly turned aggressive.

He then sent someone to tell Hammill to go outside into the beer garden where he punched him ‘at least three times’, knocking him unconscious and causing multiple injuries including a broken jaw, which needed to be fixed into place with titanium plates.

Judge Nicholas Woodward said: “You’re a consistent offender with a very bad record for violence and anti-social behaviour. You were violent, aggressive, and looking for trouble and eventually had your way.

“You attacked Mr Hammill, knocking him out and breaking his jaw.

“I urge you to think hard while serving this sentence about whether you want to carry on in this way.”       

Judge Woodward also noted Ellwood’s apparent ‘amusement’ at being back in court again.

He told defence barrister Michael Whitty: “Your client seems to think it’s all very amusing. He is just going to keep going back to prison and that is not a good way to live a life.

Mr Whitty added: “He is a young man and he needs to grow up quite frankly and the time in custody will give him the opportunity to do so.”