Drunk jailed for urinating on a sleeping homeless man’s face ‘as a joke’

A drunk man who urinated on a sleeping homeless man’s face “as a joke” has been jailed for eight weeks.

Rough sleeper Richard Stanley woke up to find Stephen Gibney, 32, urinating on his face and laughing.

Gibney had been on a night of drinking in Liverpool city centre before the incident, which occurred just before 5am on May 18 in the Whitechapel area.

Gibney, from Rimmer Avenue, Childwall, admitted assault by beating at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Jane Stacey told the court that Mr Stanley was sleeping rough when he woke to find Gibney and another man standing over him.

She said: “He opened his eyes and saw two men both laughing and realised the defendant was urinating on his face and his coat next to him and his worldly possessions.”

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The court heard that when Mr Stanley said he was going to call the police, Gibney replied: “I’ll fight you right now. What are you going to do about it?”

Gibney was later arrested at the scene and told police in an interview he had no recollection of the incident.

Sentencing, District Judge Wendy Lloyd told Gibney he had carried out “a deliberate act of degradation of a homeless person”.

The judge added: “It was his home, his little pitch where he was trying to establish himself as a human being and a valuable human being just like everyone else.

“He is in no way to be looked down upon, to be judged or dealt with in any lesser way than anyone else in society.

“This was this man’s home where he was lying with his sleeping bag getting shelter. Apparently, to you and your companion this was just a joke.”

Keiran Fielding, defending, said Gibney had drank a large amount but accepted his behaviour was “vile”.