Man jailed for 'vicious' bottle attack

Anthony Scaife struck his victim with a vodka bottle until it broke, leaving him with a deep head wound which needed staples

A man has been jailed for a "vicious" bottle attack which left his victim badly injured and fearing he would die.

Anthony Scaife's victim suffered a deep wound to his head after he was hit with a vodka bottle over a "perceived grievance" in April 2023, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The 34-year-old, of Arnison Court, Penrith, had previously admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing a class B drug.

He was jailed for four years and four months.

The court heard the attack happened when Scaife invited the man to his flat.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said as soon as the victim closed the door behind him, he could see the defendant “was angry and had gritted teeth".

Mr Burke said the man was struck "viciously" about three times in the head and body until the bottle broke, and suffered "profuse" blood loss.

During the attack Scaife shouted "I'm going to kill you" before a woman came in and dragged him off, the court heard.

'Bewildering violence'

The court heard the motive for the attack was that Scaife believed the man had been allegedly violent towards a woman.

Mr Burke said the injured man - who needed staples to his head -had thought he would not "leave the flat alive."

The court heard in police interviews Scaife, who does not have any previous convictions, said he was not sorry and the man "deserved" what happened to him.

Tariq Khawam, defending, said there was no justification for his client's “rather bewildering violence”.

Judge Barker told Scaife he would have to serve two-thirds of his jail term before being eligible for release.

He added: “You will have known that by choosing a bottle as a weapon, that there was a significant likelihood that it would break and that the injuries caused would be very significant."