Hull man hit work colleague with set of keys at his house after argument leaving 'nasty' injury

A heated argument between two work colleagues "came to a very nasty head" when one of them angrily confronted the other man at his home and assaulted him with a set of keys, causing a serious injury to his eye area.

Scott Collinson let the earlier "very unpleasant" tensions between them "fester" overnight before going round to the victim's address the next day, knocking on the door and attacking him. The man had been badly affected by the "very nasty" violence used on him and he had been left with scarring, Hull Crown Court heard.

Collinson, 30, of Grosvenor Road, Hull, admitted assaulting the work colleague, causing actual bodily harm, on September 1 last year.

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Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that Collinson and the other man both worked, at the time, at a caravan company but there was an argument between them that spilled onto social media.

The next day, Collinson went to the man's home and there was a confrontation. As the workmate was walking away, Collinson hit him once or twice with a set of keys, causing injuries.

The victim later said that the incident left him struggling with anxiety and paranoia, especially when he was at work, where he felt that he had the right to feel safe.

The idea of going out in Hull to enjoy himself had been hampered by anxiety caused by the assault. He had suffered scarring on his face and this had knocked his self-confidence. He was moving home as a result of the incident.

During police interview, Collinson denied assaulting the man with a set of keys. "The prosecution can't say that he deliberately armed himself with the keys as a weapon," said Mr Welch. "The assault had a very significant impact on the complainant."

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Collinson was continuing with his employment as a joiner at the company. "He volunteers as a coach for many rugby teams," said Mr Shipley. Collinson had no previous convictions and he pleaded guilty.

Deputy circuit judge Roger Thomas KC said that there had been "some altercation at work" between the two men and it "got very unpleasant" through "spilling" into messages online. "Things came to a very nasty head," he said.

"If that had been the end of it all and you had come home and gone to bed and literally put it to bed, that would have been the end of it. You let it fester.

"You went round to his house the next morning and confronted him. He came off worse. He had a nasty injury to his eye, which has still got a bit of a scar on him. He has left the workplace. You are still there. It has had a proper adverse effect on him."

Collinson and the man "may not have been pals" in the past but nothing had actually happened between them before to lead up to the assault.

Collinson was ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work and he must pay £500 compensation.

"You have got to do the work," said the deputy circuit judge. "You don't have a choice. You don't get paid for it. Just get it done. Make sure you don't get back in the criminal courts again. The more times you do, the more chance that you are going to get sent down."