A WELSHPOOL man has been jailed for more than two-and-a-half years after assaulting his girlfriend’s brother last September – while under investigation for taking part in a gang assault seven months earlier.

Nathan George Bryce was jailed for 31 months at Mold Crown Court today (April 15) for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and affray.

The ABH incident occurred on September 20 last year when Bryce bit and stamped on the head of Gary Cadwallader – his partner’s brother – which occurred in the victim’s back garden and caused him to black out.

The affray occurred in and outside The Angel pub in Welshpool on the night of February 21, 2020, whereby the 25-year-old jointly assaulted Jake Mann and Harry Gannon together with Jay Anthony Edward Beeson and Joe McMahon. In between both incidents, it was revealed Bryce had already served an eight-week prison sentence last October following an incident of displaying threatening writing in April.

Beeson and McMahon, his affray co-defendants, both avoided immediate custody as they were handed suspended terms of imprisonment by Judge Timothy Petts.

Prosecutor Myles Wilson said the affray occurred as a result of Mr Mann and Mr Gannon getting into an altercation in The Angel with McMahon’s mother on February 21.

County Times: The Angel in Welshpool

Mr Wilson said: “Joe McMahon’s mother left the pub with her friend saying to Harry Gannon ‘Do you know who her son is, you’re going to get hurt’. These defendants later turned up outside the pub, along with a fourth male, at around 11.15pm.”

He played CCTV footage from inside and outside the pub which showed Mr Mann and Mr Gannon being kicked and punched, while Beeson was seen headbutting one of them.

McMahon admitted a separate assault charge on an elderly female relative of Mr Gannon’s inside the pub, who was using crutches and who he pushed over, briefly leaving her unconscious.

Mr Wilson said Mr Mann suffered a bloody nose and swelling and grazing, while Mr Gannon suffered swelling to the right side of face.

Of the September assault on Mr Cadwallader, Mr Wilson said: “Gary Cadwallader was assaulted in his own garden by Nathan Bryce.

“He barged into the garden, asking “who wants some?”. He and Mr Cadwallader argued, he pushed Mr Cadwallader to the floor, was on top of him, and when Mr Cadwallader got him in a headlock, Nathan Bryce bit him on the chest, then stamped on his head, causing him to bang his head on concrete, after which he lost consciousness and had to go to hospital via ambulance.

“When Nathan Bryce was arrested, he said he’d gone round to get his keys and had been attacked by Mr Cadwallader.”

All three defendants originally denied each of the charges against them before changing their pleas at various stages.

Acting for 21-year-old Beeson, of Bronybuckley, Welshpool, Brian Treadwell said his client had received little to no support having been diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger’s since leaving school.

“The approach taken on February 21 was the wrong one, but he didn’t have the social skills to know what happened was wrong," he said. "He got caught up in it and went along.

“He is a lad that needs help and he isn’t going to get that locked up for 23 hours a day. He is not a lost cause.”

Jemma Gordon said on behalf of McMahon, 36, of Wild Wood Court, Welshpool, that he had largely remained out of trouble following a suspended sentence received 12 years ago.

“He has an issue with alcohol, which he fell back into,” said Ms Gordon.

“He had been informed of his mother being involved in an incident and he went down the pub. He has no excuse and doesn’t seek to minimise his actions.”

Dafydd Roberts, acting for Bryce, also of Bronybuckley, Welshpool, said his client had played a lesser role in the affray but admitted the separate assault clearly passed the custody threshold.

“He has had a shocking upbringing, one in which he was neglected by both parents, he has not had a good start to life and has complex mental health difficulties,” said Mr Roberts.

“He has a partner and a child and another one on the way. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and he is motivated and committed to changing his ways.”

Judge Petts jailed Bryce for 21 months for the affray, with a further 10 months to be served consecutively for the ABH. A further nine-week sentence for common assault will be served concurrently.

McMahon was spared immediate custody and was given a 20-month term of imprisonment, which will be suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 25 rehabilitation activity days as well as 180 hours of unpaid work. Ten weeks will be added concurrently for the common assault charge.

For the affray, Beeson was given 19 months jail time, also suspended for 18 months. He must complete 40 rehabilitation activity days as well as three months of alcohol absence monitoring.