A group of young men launched a vicious, unprovoked assault on a young couple outside a McDonald’s city centre, leaving them with fractures and bruises. The assault was recounted at Nottingham Crown Court, where it was revealed that the victims were subjected to punching, kicking, and stamping by the violent assailants.
The female victim, who had dedicated five years to training as a social worker to aid troubled youth, has been so affected by the ordeal that she no longer wishes to pursue this career path. Judge Mark Watson condemned the incident, stating: “It was a serious and sustained attack, a very unpleasant and cowardly group attack on a young couple who did nothing at all to provoke it.”
He noted the severe impact on the woman, who suffered facial fractures and felt humiliated to the point of changing her career direction, no longer desiring to work with young offenders.
Prosecutor Quiana Fitzpatrick detailed the events of the early hours of February 27, 2022, explaining how the victims, out enjoying the city nightlife, were first attacked inside and then outside the McDonald’s.
Mr Fitzpatrick described the brutality of the assault: “They were stamped on, kicked and punched by the defendants. One of them walked over to the female victim and told her ‘I am going to beat your boyfriend up’ and then shoved her before her partner intervened.”, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
The prosecutor detailed the chaotic scene of the assault, stating: “He then punched the boyfriend and another of the group began to attack him. Leo Beales saw people rush towards the incident and the assault continued. She got back on her feet after being hit, and Leo Beales went from being a spectator to an active participant, went over to the boyfriend, and attacked him.”
As the violence escalated, “The five defendants then assaulted them further. Tionne Loftman kicked him (the boyfriend) twice and then another of them stamped on the couple three times while Moran hit them three more times and Leo Beale kicked and stamped on him again.”
The defendants were ultimately apprehended following a public appeal, but each chose to remain silent during questioning.
Miss Fitzpatrick highlighted the severe injuries sustained by the victims, including the woman’s multiple nasal fractures, eye, and jaw bruising, and her partner’s fractured wrist and other injuries. She then shared a poignant victim impact statement from the couple.
The woman’s statement revealed the profound and lasting effects of the assault, including permanent disfigurement to her nose. She expressed how the trauma had derailed her career aspirations, stating: “She said she had studied for five years to become a social worker and wanted to work with troubled youngsters. Now she no longer wishes to.”
The assault also impacted her work with the NHS, forcing her to cancel shifts. Her partner’s statement recounted the significant time he needed to recover, requiring six weeks off work to recuperate from the brutal attack.
Miss Fitzpatrick recounted how on the night of October 12, 2023, Leo Beales and his cousin Finlay Beales got caught up in a separate “frenzied assault,” as described by the judge, attacking a man at The Peacock pub in Southchurch Drove, Clifton. CCTV footage captured one of them stomping on the victim and hurling a chair at him, all while families with children were present.
Leo Beales, 22, admitted to charges of violent disorder, assault and affray, receiving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. His defence counsel stated: “He does not really have an explanation as to why he went and joined in. These two incidents, as dreadful as they are, came at a time he fully admits he was drinking too much alcohol.”
Tionne Loftman, 23, currently without a permanent residence, pleaded guilty to violent disorder with his sentencing for this involvement postponed until May 16. Earlier this year, in January, he received a 27-month sentence for another unrelated event that occurred on June 22, 2024, involving rival factions, some armed with knives, engaging in violence that erupted after leaving Fusion nightclub on St James’s Street and spilling into Old Market Square.
Finley Beales, 23, and cousin to Leo Beales, faced charges separate from the city centre violence. He admitted to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault, and affray relating to an incident in Clifton.
Finley was given an 18-month sentence. His barrister commented: “He perhaps became involved out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. He’s been running his own business for a year doing landscaping and gardening.”
Meanwhile, two other men implicated in the city centre attack received jail sentences at an earlier hearing.
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