Suspended prison sentence for assault in Pontardawe

Immediately after the attack, the person accompanying Sonny Dolan shouted  “You’ve killed him – let’s go.”

Dolan, 23, of Heol y Llwynau, Trebanos, ran away shirtless and was later found by police hiding in a garden.

Outlining the case at Swansea Crown Court, Megan Jones said the assault took place in Pontardawe town centre on the evening of October 16 after Dolan and the victim had been involved in a confrontation in the toilets of Jubilee Club, Herbert Street where punches had been thrown.

Later that night Dolan and another man saw one of the men from the toilet incident near Lloyds Bank.

 A delivery driver then observed Dolan approach the victim, point at him aggressively then deliver a powerful punch which made the victim's head ‘swing backwards’ into a wall before he fell to the floor.

Dolan appeared eager to continue the attack, however he was restrained by his companion.

In a subsequent police interview, Dolan claimed that throughout the evening he’d consumed lager, shots of spirits and a line of cocaine which resulted in his behaviour.

As a result of the attack, the victim sustained a broken nose, a gash on the head, swelling to the cheek and jaw and bleeding in the mouth.

Donny pleaded guilty to the charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.  Representing the defendant, Rhiannon Meredith claimed the attack had been ‘a spur of the moment’ event.

She described it as being completely out of character and was an incident of which her client felt ‘extremely ashamed’.

Ms Meredith submitted references to the court from his rugby club, his employer and his family.

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, Recorder Christian Jowett sentenced Dolan to 16 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months.

He was ordered to complete an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement, a rehabilitation course, and 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay his victim £1,000 compensation.