Sutton man fractured neighbour’s forearm with handlebars in dispute over loud music
A Sutton man snapped while trying to put his children to sleep because his neighbour was playing loud music and fractured the man's forearm with a scooter’s handlebars, a court has heard.
Mark Westlake's victim and another man banged on his front door and exchanged words with him before he followed them down a jitty and picked up the handlebars of a child’s scooter on the night of July 1 last year.
Rachel Young, prosecuting, played a video of the incident taken by the second man which recorded Westlake warning: "I'll knock your head off. You're dead you f****** paedo."
Westlake’s neighbour sustained a "minimally” fractured bone in his forearm which was treated with splints and painkillers.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he has two previous convictions for two offences: theft in 2009 and drink-driving in 2023.
Gareth Gimson, mitigating, described Westlake as “a good man and a father of four” who made early admissions to the police.
“It was a one-off in really rather curious circumstances,” he said. “It is painfully obvious there is another side to the story.”
He said Westlake was a hard-working man who lost his job as a joiner 18 months earlier through no fault of his own and subsequently struggled with anxiety and depression.
“The music was coming from the complainant’s address and Mr Westlake was trying to get his children to sleep,” said Mr Gimson. “It doesn't excuse what happened next but it explains his irritation.”
He said the victim and another man banged on Westlake's door close to midnight and words were exchanged.
“He knows he shouldn't have set foot off his property,” he said. “It was a moment of madness. He no longer drinks alcohol.”
The court heard he has since moved out of the address and there have been no further problems.
Westlake, aged 34, of Caunts Crescent, Sutton, admitted grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon, at a previous hearing.
“Neighbour disputes are never easy to resolve,” Recorder Penelope Stanistreet-Keen told him on Wednesday. “You did arm yourself and you know that makes it a very serious matter.”
She sentenced him to eight months, suspended for 18 months, with 20 rehabilitation days and 200 hours of unpaid work. No compensation was awarded.