Man jailed for sports centre hot tub attack

The the attack happened at Isle of Man's National Sports Centre

A man who punched another man in the face several times while he was in a hot tub has been jailed for one year and eight months.

Ryan Jones, 29, attacked the man in the spa suite at the Isle of Man's National Sports Centre on 16 January.

Douglas Courthouse heard Jones placed the man in a headlock before launching a series of punches at his face, resulting in the victim's head going under the water.

Deemster Graeme Cook said it had been an "appalling assault" and that he was "fortunate" that he had not faced a more serious charge.

The court heard the victim was sitting in the jacuzzi with his girlfriend and two other people when Jones launched the unprovoked attack.

Jones placed the man in a headlock and punched him "four or five times" in the face, with the victim's head being under the water for a period of time, the court was told.

Staff intervened in the attack and told Jones to leave the spa, at which point he turned to the victim and said: "I told you I would get you."

The prosecution said the two men were known to each other and had previously had a disagreement over money.

Jones previously pleaded guilty to committing actual bodily harm.

Ryan Jones was sentenced at Douglas Courthouse on Friday

The court heard the victim sustained a cuts to his nose and the back of his head and bruising to his face.

In a victim impact statement read to court, he said he had been a regular user of the gym, but now felt "nervous" about attending, and had put on weight as a result.

He had also begun suffering nightmares and now got up during the night to check his doors were locked, it added.

Jones's defence advocate said he had made a "spur of the moment" decision to confront the other man, which was "stupid" but was a "one-off incident".

Jailing him, Deemster Cook said he could not "imagine how terrified not only he and his girlfriend but two members of the public must have been".

"You didn't confront him, you tried to pummel him," he added.