Gary Carter attack: Thug locked up for two years after cowardly drunken attack on sports journalist
A drunken thug who launched a ‘despicable and cowardly’ attack which nearly killed a popular sports journalist has today been jailed for two years.
James Flanagan, 35, was pretending to shake the hand of Gary Carter when he launched a flurry of sickening blows which knocked him to the ground causing him to hit his head on the pavement.
Former M.E.N journalist Gary, 36, was left with severe head injuries which a court heard he was lucky to survive and he still faces a lengthy battle to regain his basic functions.
A judge admitted the sentence for the crime which had ‘ruined Gary and his family’s lives’ may seem ‘unduly merciful’ but he said his hands were tied as he hinted Flanagan could have been charged with a more serious offence.
The tragedy unfolded last November when freelance sports reporter Gary, from Stalybridge, Tameside, was in London covering an England rugby league test match.
He was having a quiet drink in the Star of Bethnal Green pub in East London where Flanagan was celebrating the end of a filming project he had been part of.
The court was told Flanagan’s nephew, Daniel Heals, was talking to Gary, who was being friendly and ‘keeping himself to himself.’
However thinking he may be irritating him, the bar manager asked Mr Heals to leave him alone and re-join his group. He told his uncle he had been made to leave the bar area.
Lucy Organ, prosecuting, said Flanagan must have taken this as a ‘perceived slight’ against his nephew.
Attacked in the street
Later when first Gary and then Flanagan’s group had left the pub, at around 12:30am they bumped into each other on nearby Cambridge Heath Road.
Flanagan said; “Is that him? The one from the pub?’ as he approached Gary and punched him in the face.
Ms Organ said Gary was taken aback and began walking away when one of Flanagan’s friends suggested they could resolve the situation with a handshake.
Flanagan agreed but as Gary turned around and stretched his hand out he launched a series of punches both to the face and body.
The judge, The Recorder of Redbridge David Radford, described this as a ‘cowardly’ and ‘despicable’ deception, the like of which he had never seen before.
Flanagan then hit Gary with an uppercut which knocked him backwards and he hit his head on the pavement.
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