Two men jailed following unprovoked violent assault on stranger

Two men have been jailed after admitting their role in an unprovoked attack on a stranger as he walked home from work through Northampton town centre.

Shortly before 6pm on Sunday, May 5, Northamptonshire Police received a 999 call from a man who said that two people were trying to attack him in the churchyard in St Giles Terrace.

The man was advised to move away from his would-be assailants and was told that Response officers were en route, but while still on the phone to the Force Control Room, the call handler heard the assault start.

One of the attackers – 36-year-old Sean Patrick Conybeare – was captured on town centre CCTV as he squared up to the man before his accomplice – 33-year-old Nathan Lucas – grabbed the victim in a headlock.

As Lucas pinned the man to the ground, choking him, he lost consciousness, while Conybeare repeatedly punched him, causing substantial facial injuries that required medical treatment at Northampton General Hospital.

Conybeare and Lucas were arrested and subsequently charged with Section 18 – grievous bodily harm with intent – and were remanded in police custody following their appearance at Northampton Magistrates’ Court two days later (May 7).

At Northampton Crown Court on September 10, the pair both denied the Section 18 offence but instead pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Section 20 – grievous bodily harm without intent – which was accepted by the Crown.

Conybeare and Lucas, both previously of Colwyn Road in Northampton, returned to the same court on October 21, where they were sentenced to 30 months’ and 20 months’ imprisonment respectively.

Following the conclusion of the court case, Detective Constable Ben Wright of CID West said: “The sentence handed to Sean Conybeare and Nathan Lucas reflects the seriousness of the offences they committed, and the physical and mental impact their crimes had on their victim.

“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.