‘Bad-tempered’ pensioner who threw bleach on homeless man is spared jail

Imposing an eight-month prison sentence on James Hull at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Peter King told the 69-year-old that although “the custody threshold is well and truly crossed”, he would suspend the sentence for three years given Hull’s plea and background.

Hull, from Hezlet Court in Coleraine, had earlier entered a guilty plea to a single charge of common assault and the court heard how the victim, a Polish national, had been sitting outside Poundland in Church Street on August 2 this year when Hull approached him.

After remonstrating with the injured party, Hull went into Poundland and bought bleach, which he then used to squirt over his defenceless victim.

Following the afternoon attack, Hull fled the scene on his mobility scooter, but returned while his victim was still on the ground and attacked him again, squirting bleach into his face.

The homeless man tried to protect his face while the defendant continued to try and squirt him with the substance, before members of the public came to the victim’s aid and removed the bleach from Hull, who was arrested.

He told officers he had gone into the shop to get bleach to clean his toilet, stating: “I had to retaliate; it wasn’t intentional.”

After a Good Samaritan offered to take the victim to his home for a shower and to wipe the bleach from his face, the injured party, who had suffered reddening to his skin, said: “I just want to get out of the area and go back to Belfast.”

Defence solicitor Emma Glenn said the pensioner suffered from “a multitude of health conditions” and added: “He had been wound up by the injured party’s actions. He believed this man was trying to scam vulnerable members of the public.

“He is extremely regretful about what happened and had come off his medication, which caused him to behave out of character. He accepts full responsibility and is extremely thankful the injured party was not more seriously injured.”

District Judge King told the defendant: “This could have been absolutely disastrous. You could have caused life-changing injuries. The fact you didn’t was not due to design, it was due to good luck.

“We could be looking at somebody who was scarred for life or blinded or worse. The papers are full of stories about people becoming damaged by acid attacks. The custody threshold is well and truly crossed.

“I have absolutely no idea what was going through your mind. This was not a one-off; you returned.”

Imposing the suspended sentence, he warned the defendant: “If there is anything remotely similar to this in the next three years, the starting point will be eight months’ imprisonment.”