Assault victim had to have portion of skull removed after 'mindless moment of violence' during Mansfield night out

Perry Cranston was out in the town with friends in the early hours of Feburary 23 last year when William Dennis repeatedly punched and kicked him outside Rush night club in Clumber Street following a dispute.

Perry requested that police share the shocking footage of the assault in order to raise awareness of the dangers of violence.

In the assault, he suffered a large laceration to the back of his head and was diagnosed with a bleed on the brain as well as a number of fractures to his skull.

His brain showed signs of swelling and Perry had to be put into a coma before having a portion of his skull removed.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Police, 25-year-old Perry said: “I was in hospital for eight months receiving treatment for multiple skull fractures until doctors attempted to replace the missing fragments of my skull with a metal plate.

“When they attempted to install the plate, it got infected and had to be removed.

“I’m now left with a part of my skull missing while I wait for an operation and it won’t be until March when I get my pre-op with a view to having a new plate fitted in April.

“It’s restricted me from living my normal life. I can’t work, can’t exercise, I can’t do anything at the minute.”

On Friday, January 8 23-year-old William Dennis, of Kempton Road in Mansfield, was sentenced to fourteen months in prison for the assault after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm.

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Detective Sergeant Jamie Moore, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "In cases like this there are no winners, a man has suffered life-long injuries and a young man is now in prison.

"This mindless moment of violence changed the course of both the victim’s and the offender’s lives forever. Dennis will now spend a time behind bars and carry the responsibility of what he did with him probably for the rest of his life.

"Response officers worked collaboratively with Mansfield District Council's CCTV team to quickly locate Dennis and enabled him to be held account for his crime.

"Ultimately, this is an incredibly sad case that has had a significant impact on two young men.”

Councillor Marion Bradshaw, portfolio holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Our highly trained CCTV operators monitor around 160 cameras from our state-of-the-art control room 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to keep Mansfield safe.

"They work very closely with the police and our own Neighbourhood Wardens to help reduce and prevent crime and disorder throughout the entire district. We are pleased to have quickly located the offender in this tragic case and we wish the victim well in their continued recovery.”

To report crime in your area call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

In an emergency you should always dial 999.

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