Somerset man jailed following 'barbaric' unprovoked attack on couple

A man who 'senselessly' and 'barbarically' attacked a couple in Taunton - leaving one of them with a bleed to the brain - has been jailed.

Liam Davies approached Gary and Samantha Sipthorpe for a lighter as they walked home from a pub on the evening of 23 July last year.

When they said they did not have one, Davies punched Gary in the head multiple times, knocking him to the ground.

The 25-year-old then pushed Gary's wife, Samantha, over when she tried to intervene.

When 55-year-old Gary tried to phone the police, Davies threw his phone across the road and continued to assault him.

He eventually fled when Samantha, 53, managed to call 999.

As a result of the attack, Gary sustained a bleed to the brain, a detached retina and fractures to his rib and nose.

Police say he continues to receive treatment for his injuries seven months on and still experiences headaches and issues with his vision.

After seeing Avon and Somerset Police's appeal for help to find Davies' after the attack, a member of the public contacted the force about a conversation he’d had with Davies about injuries to his hands and neck the morning after the incident.

Davies, of Hawthorn Road, Taunton, was arrested but denied any involvement and so was released on bail pending further enquiries.

When a forensic examination of Gary's phone - which had been recovered from the roadside later - found traces of Davies’ DNA on it, he was re-arrested and subsequently charged.

Having later pleaded guilty to both GBH and battery at an earlier hearing he was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court today (14 February). He was handed a sentence of seven years and two months.

He will serve a minimum of five years and two months in prison, with the remainder on licence.

Detective Constable Joe Lewis described Davies as an "incredible dangerous man" and said Taunton is a "much safer place" now he's in prison.

“He was responsible for what was a truly senseless and barbaric attack, using disturbing levels of violence which are extremely rare not just in Taunton but across the whole of the Avon and Somerset area", he added.

“It is only by chance Gary’s injuries weren’t more severe and I’d like to commend him and Samantha for their bravery in standing up in court today and sharing just how significantly this attack has had on them.

“I hope now Davies has been sent to prison for a substantial amount of time they have some closure to this awful ordeal and can get on with their lives.”