Man jailed following violent rampage in residential street

A 22-year-old man has been jailed for more than three years after going on a violent rampage in a residential street in Northampton.

At about midday on Wednesday, May 15 this year, police officers were called to Stockmead Road in the town’s Little Billing ward following reports that a man had been assaulted at the family home of John Wright.

The man in his 40s retaliated and punched him, and Wright - dressed in only his boxer shorts - left the house in an agitated state before walking into the front garden of a neighbouring property.

He punched a Yorkshire Terrier dog, causing it to yelp and run back towards the address, and when confronted by its owner, Wright pushed him to the floor, stood over him and repeatedly punched him.

The man in his 70s was taken to Northampton General Hospital after he suffered a dislocated finger, two black eyes as well as cuts and bruises to his head and arms during the sustained and unprovoked violent assault.

Wright, previously of Norfolk Street in Semilong, Northampton, went back into the street where he argued with his mother and was seen to grab and hit her several times, before he noticed a woman sitting in a parked car.

To gain access to the vehicle, he then attempted to assault her. However, as his mother and brother tried to restrain him, he eventually stopped and once again became aggressive towards the pair.

Wright then picked up a large piece of concrete and as he walked down the road, he pushed a young boy off his bicycle – thankfully causing no injuries – before continuing towards a VW Jetta car and throwing the concrete block through its windscreen.

He was arrested by Northampton Response officers and taken to hospital due to concerns for acute behavioural disorder, and while receiving treatment, he assaulted a police officer and was further arrested for this offence.

Wright was subsequently charged with assault thereby occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), assault by beating, affray, assault by beating an emergency worker, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and criminal damage to property under the value of £5,000.

He appeared before magistrates on Friday, May 17, where he was remanded in custody, and the case transferred to the county’s crown court.

At Northampton Crown Court on July 31, he pleaded guilty to all six charges and the hearing was adjourned to September 30, where he was sentenced to 39 months in prison and issued with a restraining order not to enter Stockmead Road, valid until 2028.

Following the conclusion of the court case, Detective Constable Casey McQuade of CID West said: “The sentence handed to John Wright reflects the seriousness of the offences he committed, and the physical and mental impact his crimes has had on his victims.

“Tackling serious violence is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case demonstrates our determination to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice and make our communities a safer place to live and work.”

Tackling serious violence is one of Northamptonshire Police’s four Matters of Priority, these also include drug harm, serious and organised crime, and violence against women and girls (VAWG). More details at www.northants.police.uk.