Llanelli teenager takes photo of victim after attacking him outside a church in Carmarthen

Two teenagers attacked a man while he for a taxi in Carmarthen town centre in an unprovoked attack, a court has heard.

Joshua Jones, now 21, and Thomas McArthur-King, now 20, repeatedly punched and kicked the victim, before knocking him to the ground and continuing to kick him.

After the assault, Swansea Crown Court heard how a shirtless McArthur-King took out his phone to take a picture of the victim.

The injured man says the attack has left him with a badly damaged knee and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Prosecutor Dean Pulling said the assault happened in the early hours of 1 May, 2022, in Carmarthen town centre, in the grounds of Christ Church.

The court heard the victim and his friend were waiting to meet a pre-booked taxi after a night out, when McArthur-King delivered a "flying kick" to the complainant's friend.

Then he and Jones turned their attention to the victim, repeatedly punching and kicking him. When he fell to the floor, the attack continued with the pair kicking the victim.

The prosecutor read a statement from the victim in which he described the impact of the incident.

He said he no longer goes out socialising with friends and was suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks. He said the assault changed the way he now lives his life, adding: "Quite frankly, it ruined my life."

Lawyers defending Jones and McArthur-King both told the court the violence outside the church was "out of character" for their clients.

Representing Jones, Hannah George said as a teenager her client had acted as a carer for his mother until she passed away. Following her death, she described how he "lost himself" in alcohol and tried to drown out his emotions.

McArthur-King's legal representative, Caitlin Brazel said her client had a "troubled upbringing", having lost his father at the age of nine and then experiencing two "extremely abusive step-fathers".

Handing down his judgement, Judge Paul Thomas KC told the pair that, following the attack, they had received "two undeserved matters of fortune"; namely the decision to charge them with unlawful wounding rather than the more serious charge of grievous bodily harm.

With discounts for their guilty pleas, the defendants were each sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for 18 months. They were also ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

The judge told them they had avoided prison by "the skin of your teeth" and warned them that if they re-offended in the next 18 months, or failed to comply with the requirements of the sentence they would be brought back to court.

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