The violent criminal broke into the man’s home and repeatedly struck the victim in the head with the handle of a pickaxe, leaving him with a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage.

Ryan Thomas also strangled and beat his victim after he said he wanted to use his apartment as a “hideout”. Thomas is well known in his local community for his rude and anti-social behavior and has a history of violent crimes, including stealing a 73-year-old man’s can of beer. Sending the defendant to prison, the judge said the extended sentence was necessary to protect the public from the risk he posed.

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Ewan Rhys, the prosecutor, told Swansea Crown Court that, on the night of 23 September 2021, the victim of the attack was in his Croserve apartment watching television when there was a knock on the door. When he was about to answer it, he heard a voice he didn’t recognize shout “Morris”. The man opened the door and was confronted by two men: Thomas and his co-defendant Thomas Lambert.

The court heard Thomas burst through the door before shoving the man in the chest and knocking him to the ground. The 29-year-old defendant proceeded to beat and strangle his victim as she lay in the hallway. At this point, Lambert, 24, entered the area in what appeared to be an attempt to separate the couple, but Thomas told him about the man and he did so, hitting him twice in the face and in the head.

The court heard that Thomas entered the apartment’s living room and returned with a pickaxe handle, but Lambert, concerned about what was happening, left the apartment and Lambert continued the attack alone. Rees said Thomas subjected his victim to a “savage bludgeoning” with the gun, hitting the man multiple times in the head. Thomas and Lambert then fled the scene. The Crown believes that the attack on the victim was premeditated, the prosecutor said.

The court heard that the man suffered a fractured skull, a cerebral hemorrhage, multiple head injuries and four large areas of his scalp that were “completely ripped off”. The lacerations required a total of 52 staples to close.

Ryan Lee Thomas, of Dwyfor Road, Croeserw, Cymmer, Port Talbot, previously pleaded guilty to intentional grievous bodily harm when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 14 previous convictions for 19 crimes, including assault with bodily harm, fighting, disorderly conduct, theft, assault, sending malicious messages and possession of marijuana. Last April, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for robbery after he went on a rampage at a corner store when the 73-year-old man refused to give him a can of beer he had just bought and assaulted, threatened and mistreated the retiree.

Thomas James Lambert, of Timavre Street, Port Tennant, Swansea, had already pleaded guilty to GBH when he appeared with his co-defendant. At trial, Lambert was acquitted of GBH’s most serious offense of intent. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, claiming he was unaware that he and Thomas were visiting any residences on the night in question and did not know the occupant. Lambert has three previous convictions for six crimes, none of which were related to violence.

Robin Rush, for Thomas, said it had to be accepted that the injuries inflicted on the defendants were “very distressing” and said his client had expressed remorse for his actions. He said Thomas took steps to rehabilitate himself while in custody and that his attitude and behavior impressed prison and parole officials.

Ian Ibrahim of Lambert said his client’s involvement in the incident was limited to a few seconds and one headbutt and two punches. He said the defendant was a father of five who worked at a metallurgical company and was offered another job by his former manager, which may be an indication of the type of person he really is. The lawyer added that it was “a very, very bad choice” for the defendant to go out drinking that night and stay with Thomas.

Registrar David Harris said Thomas “beat, choked and bashed” his victim over the head with the handle of a pickaxe. He said that given the facts of the case, the defendant’s prior history and the contents of the pre-sentence report, he was convinced that Thomas posed a high risk of serious harm to persons and should be classified as a dangerous criminal. Thomas was sentenced to six years in prison, which includes four years in prison followed by an extended two-year furlough period. A defendant must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can apply for release, but the Probation Board must determine whether it is safe to release him and under what conditions he can be released.

Turning to Lambert, the clerk said it was clear that for some reason he was “under the influence” of Thomas on the night in question and said he was satisfied that the defendant did not act in the way he did. if not for that. With a 10% discount for his guilty plea, Lambert was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspension and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Source: Wales Online