Mansfield man beat musician so savagely he suffered permanent hearing loss
A Mansfield man who beat an innocent musician so savagely he suffered permanent hearing loss "for precious little reason" has been spared an immediate prison sentence.
Brendon Bower followed the man up to his room in a house of multiple occupancy and repeatedly punched him, ten to 20 times, at about midnight on July 7, 2022, Nottingham Crown Court was told.
Bower's then-girlfriend also lived in the house and his victim had "mistakenly" tried her door handle before realising his mistake and apologised to him.
The man was left with cuts and swelling to his face and the permanent loss of his hearing in his left ear with a perforated ear drum.
In a statement, he described continuous problems with hearing, panic attacks and issues with employment.
The court heard Bower has nine previous convictions for 17 offences, including robbery in 2011, and battery in 2014, for which he received a 12-week sentence.
Bianca Brasoveanu, mitigating, said a psychological report made it clear his "broken background" led to an "exaggerated reaction" and an attempt to "protect those dear to him."
"Had it not been for his psychological damage there would be very little for me to say in mitigation, and there would be very little force in me asking for you to suspend any sentence," she said. "But there is.”
She said Bower has stayed out of trouble since and is training to be a barber.
"There have been attempts to deal with his emotional dysregulation in the past,” Ms Brasoveanu said. “Sentencing him to a term of imprisonment would satisfy the punitive terms.
"But there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation so that he can put away the violence in his past and be given the tools to address future difficulties in a way that will not lead him back to this court."
Bower, 32, of Sandown Road, admitted grievous bodily harm on December 17.
"If you commit another offence you will come back before me and I shall remember you and it will not matter what the excuses are,” Judge Michael Auty KC warned him on Tuesday.
He sentenced Bower to two years, suspended for two years.
He also ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation days, and a 12-month mental health treatment programme.