Man jailed for vicious Kettering attack
The victim was rushed to hospital with life-changing injuries.
A 54-year-old man who was heard shouting “you’re lucky you’re not going to die today” as he viciously attacked an acquaintance in Kettering town centre has been jailed.
Robert Joseph Sharp, of Winstanley Road, Wellingborough, attacked his 46-year-old homeless victim on the morning of Friday, August 18, 2023, as he slept outside the former bingo club in Kettering’s High Street.
On June 3, at Northampton Crown Court, Sharp was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and issued with an indefinite restraining order.
At the sentencing hearing, the court heard the victim was in a relationship with Sharp’s friend, and that the assault was in “revenge” after the man had “disrespected” him by suggesting he had slept with his girlfriend.
At about 7am on August 18, the victim was laying in his sleeping bag on the pavement when he was woken by the onslaught of punches and kicks to his face from Sharp, which caused him to blackout.
Sharp was witnessed continuing his brutal assault as he lifted the man up by his throat before banging his head against the brick wall and punching him in the stomach. He then walked off, leaving his victim motionless on the pavement, and covered in blood.
A witness called 999 and requested both the police and ambulance service. The victim was taken to Kettering General Hospital, where his injuries were described as some of the worse the consultant had seen.
A CT scan confirmed the victim had sustained subdural haematomas, a hairline fracture of the skull, facial fractures, and numerous fractured ribs. He was transferred to University Hospital Coventry, where he underwent surgery for life-changing injuries.
Shortly after the assault, Police Response Officers arrested Sharp, who appeared intoxicated, on suspicion of assault after he matched the description of the offender.
While transported to police custody, Sharp, who was intoxicated, told officers that he had “attacked him because he had beaten his (the victim’s) woman and disrespected him” – but later denied this in his formal interview.
Sharp was subsequently charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and non-fatal strangulation and appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on August 19, where he was remanded in custody.
His case was transferred to Northampton Crown Court for trial and on January 19, he changed his plea to guilty in relation to the serious assault but was found not guilty of the non-fatal strangulation offence. He was sentenced at the same court on June 3.
Lead investigator, Detective Constable Amelia Thompson of the North LPA CID team, said: “This was an unprovoked violent assault, which left the victim with life-changing injuries, due to the brutality of Robert Sharp’s actions.
“I am pleased the sentence imposed on Sharp reflects the level of violence he used but I hope he spends his time in prison reflecting on his actions that morning, which could have easily had fatal consequences for his victim.
“Although the sentence will never make up for the trauma the victim has been through, and the life-changing injuries he sustained and continues to live with, I hope it will give him a sense of justice.
“Tackling serious violence is a matter of priority for the Force and we will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to incidents and relentlessly pursue offenders to make communities safer.”