Ramsey attack: Man's punches broke victim's eye socket, court hears

Connor Ethan Gilardoni was sentenced at a hearing at Douglas Courthouse

A man who repeatedly punched a man after a night out on a karaoke bus broke his victim's eye socket, a court has heard.

Connor Gilardoni, 19, hit his victim several times in Ramsey on 23 October before attacking him again as he turned to walk away.

He was given a 20 month prison sentence for grievous bodily harm, which was suspended for two years.

Deemster Graeme Cook said Gilardoni's "unjustified violence" was "awful".

The court heard Gilardoni, of Tynwald Road in Douglas, did not know his victim well but the pair had spent the evening celebrating a mutual friend's birthday.

After the party arrived in Ramsey, he approached the man outside the Commercial Pub at about 22:20 BST and started to talk to him before an argument broke out and the two men started to push and shove each other.

He then launched a series of punches at his victim, who did not retaliate, and the man was knocked to the floor.

Gilardoni punched the man several more times after he got up and had turned his back to walk away.

Gilardoni later said in a group chat on social media the punches had been because he had been told that the victim had grabbed a woman earlier in the evening, although he later apologised for the attack via a Snapchat message.

Sentencing him, Deemster Cook said: "You got involved in something you needn't have got involved in."

He said people should be able to enjoy a night out without being attacked, adding: "You were a yob on the night."

He told Gilardoni that he had come "very close" to going to prison for his "disgusting" actions, but had only been spared jail because he had used his fists rather than kicking the man.