Victim’s anger as bottle thug is let off (From Wiltshire Times)

Victim’s anger as bottle thug is let off

9:27am Friday 29th December 2006

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A FORMER soldier who was smashed over the head with a bottle has hit out at the justice system for letting his attacker off with a caution.

Peter Legg, 52, of Eastbourne Gardens, Trowbridge, who served his country for 20 years, said he felt cheated and angry after receiving a letter saying there would be no further action taken against the 18-year-old who assaulted him.

The attacker will have the caution on his record for five years and it will be brought up if he is dealt with police again but Mr Legg feels this is not an adequate punishment.

"I was disgusted when I got the letter," he said. "The police were there very quickly and did their job. It's the rest of the justice system who are not doing theirs. You'd get more of a punishment for speeding."

Mr Legg, who works at Airsprung, had been for a quiet drink in Trowbridge and was walking around the corner from Chicago Rock Café, Trowbridge at about 11.30pm when he was hit over the head with a bottle and left with a gash down his forehead and cuts to his right cheek and eye.

"An ambulance took me to hospital. There was a big split on the top of my head. There was so much blood," said Mr Legg.

"The following day they arrested somebody and asked did I want to press charges. I thought it was best to do things by the law. I believe he should have been jailed. I don't think much of the law. I've served my country and this young lad does this to me."

Trowbridge Inspector Dave Cullop said he was unable to discuss individual cases but explained cautions were used when evidence was too weak for a case to go through the court and when someone had never committed an offence before.

Insp Cullop is trying to encourage licensees in the town to replace glass with polycarbonate containers to prevent glassing attacks.

He has also written to some of the bigger chains, which operate pubs in the town to ask them to consider switching to plastic.

He said while Christmas was relatively peaceful there was an incident in the Sir Isaac Pitman pub, in Market Place, Trowbridge, where a barman was injured after being hit in the hand with a glass.

The incident happened at 7.30pm on December 20 and is being linked with another assault across the road on the same evening. Police are trying to trace a 26-year-old local man.

In Melksham there was an incident in the West End Inn, in Semington Road, when a fight broke out. It is believed glasses and bottles were used as weapons. Several people were arrested after the brawl.

Insp Cullop said: "Incidents like these highlight that people working in pubs can be at risk from people using glasses as weapons."

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