WHEN he saw a friend fighting with another man in Rugby town centre, Tadas Grigas picked up a bottle, broke it on a bollard and thrust it into the other man’s abdomen.
The 22 year-old of Bridget Street, Rugby, was jailed for five years and four months after pleading guilty at Warwick Crown Court to wounding his victim with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutor Duncan Craig said in February Stewart Compston had gone out in Rugby on a Friday night, visiting various pubs before ending up at Boutique and the Beach night club.
Mr Compston, who had been careful how much he drank because he had to go to work the next day, left with two friends in the early hours of the morning and went to McDonalds to get some food.
On his way he became aware of two men – one of which was Grigas.
The other man stood in front of him adopting a confrontational stance, and something was said which led to a struggle during which punches were thrown.
Mr Compston remembered screaming out in pain as he felt a blow to his abdomen, which he could see was covered in blood.
He ran from the scene, but collapsed, and his two friends and a security guard went to assist him before he was taken by ambulance to hospital.
He needed a number of stitches to wounds to his abdomen and another to his upper back.
As a result Mr Compston, who had to be signed off work for a while and had difficulty raising his arm, says he often has sleepless nights with thoughts that he could have died – and his mother, for whom he is a carer, is frightened every time he goes out.
Watching a CCTV recording of the incident, Recorder Stephen Linehan QC observed that Grigas had picked up a bottle from the ground before breaking it on a bollard and running back to stab Mr Compston with the jagged remains.
Ben Gow, defending, said Grigas had expressed remorse early on and fully admitted what he had done.
Jailing Grigas, Recorder Linehan told him: “Such an offence is so serious that only a prison sentence can be passed. Nothing justified or excused what you did that night.”
