This family man had never been in trouble. Then a night out left his life in ruins

Before a fateful night out in his hometown, Matthew Bannister had never troubled the courts. The 39-year-old had a stable long-term job and two children with his partner.

The life he had built came crashing down today at Cardiff Crown Court when he was jailed for three years over his drunken, cowardly actions. His partner sobbed in the public gallery as he was led to the cells. For his family it was the culmination of a 17-month nightmare since the events of July 9, 2023.

When deciding whether to imprison the family breadwinner, the judge took into account how it could affect his loved ones. But he also noted how Bannister's actions had affected the victim, a young man named Bryn Brooks. The physical and mental consequences were severe for Mr Brooks, who now feels afraid to go out in his hometown of Maesteg.

Prosecutor Byron Broadstock said the victim was out with friends at Liquid Lounge in Maesteg's Commercial Street when a woman in his friendship group began arguing with another woman. This was a rekindling of a row that had started on a train earlier that day. In the bar, a man exchanged angry words with Mr Brook's girlfriend.

The court heard Mr Brooks "wasn't sure what the argument was about" but stepped in and told the man to leave his girlfriend alone. The man was an acquaintance of Bannister, who was also present and had been drinking heavily. The prosecutor described Bannister as a "bulky" presence in CCTV footage played to the court, which showed him dancing in the bar, wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

Bannister joined in with the row and Mr Brooks again asked for his girlfriend to be left alone. He did not "physically threaten or gesture any violence" towards Bannister, said the prosecutor. The CCTV then showed Mr Brooks sitting down. Bannister stood nearby, dancing, and the confrontation seemed to be over. Suddenly, Bannister punched the sitting victim hard to the face.

Door staff quickly intervened and removed the two groups of friends from the venue. It seemed the violence had ended but, in a mass of people outside the bar, Bannister was again arguing with Mr Brooks' partner. When Mr Brooks walked nearer, Bannister threw a flurry of punches to his face and torso. He stamped on the victim's head before he was finally pulled away by others. In the words of the judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, it was "a completely unprovoked attack on a man who posed no physical threat to you".

Mr Broadstock said: "The victim felt a punch connect to his jaw and he blacked out. He can only remember being hit multiple times on the floor and trying to cover his face. He tried to stand up but he couldn't. He felt more hits to his face and body, and he blacked out again."

The victim suffered wounds to his head which required gluing. The worst was a fracture to his cheekbone. He had to take five days off work and he was unable to eat hard food for three weeks or play rugby for three months. In his victim impact statement, Mr Brooks said: "I'm very nervous going out in Maesteg. I'm worried it can happen again. I have gone out once or twice and spent most of the night looking over my shoulder, wanting to go home.

"I work in a leisure centre and have worried about him turning up at my workplace. I keep replaying the incident in my head and feeling like I could have done more to protect myself. I feel humiliation walking through Maesteg as lots of people saw me getting assaulted."

Bannister, of Brynteg in Maesteg, lied to police that he had been defending himself. He then admitted unlawful wounding but pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He finally pleaded guilty to the more serious offence on the day of trial. His barrister Andrew Taylor called for a suspended sentence, telling the judge: "He has never been before the court for any offence whatsoever. It is plain he is a man struck by remorse for what he has done. A hardworking, well thought of man, a provider for his family.

"He had been drinking all day, and on the train back to Maesteg there was an argument between females. He unfortunately became embroiled in that argument when it carried on inside the premises. He did not have any axe to grind against Mr Brooks. There is no history of conflict. The punch delivered was a cowardly punch and he accepts that. There was then a further incident outside. He is beside himself with grief over what he did that night.

"He wishes to apologise to Mr Brooks and to those who witnessed the very serious violence. He cannot understand why he did it, and in behaving that way his life has been on hold for 18 months. He has shown a determination and demonstration to address his behaviour. He has said it wouldn't necessarily cause him a problem if he were never to drink again. Drinking to excess is the root cause of what he did."

Mr Taylor added that his client's older child is 11 years old and the younger is eight months. Bannister is prescribed medication for anxiety and depression. He takes home an average of £1,700 a month and is £15,000 in debt. "It is not that he is a profligate spender," said the barrister. "Sadly his partner, who has worked for many years, is still on maternity leave and that reduces the family pot. A large part of the debt was a car loan, as he needed to get back and forth to work."

Mr Taylor asked the judge to consider that the prisons are overcrowded and that "this is a prime example of a man who can be punished in the community". But Recorder Hammond said there was "simply no excuse" for the attack. Although he took into account the remorse and previously clean record, he also noted the defendant had pleaded not guilty until the day of trial. The judge imposed a three-year jail term of which 40% will be served in custody and the rest in the community. Bannister did not show emotion as he was sentenced. He gave a brief wave to his crying partner as a security guard led him to the cells. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.