Judge's 'regret' as young dad jailed for one-punch attack that caused serious brain injury

-Credit: (Image: Google)
-Credit: (Image: Google)


A judge has said he felt regret as he jailed a tearful young dad who had punched an older man unconscious. The attack, which happened in February 2023, broke the victim's skull and caused him long-lasting brain injuries.

Kai Noton and his friends had jumped the queue to get into Waikiki in Market Place South, Leicester city centre, when one of the young men behind him objected. Noton, who was 20 at the time and is now 22 and a father of a four-month-old baby, slapped the young man in the face. The man went off to get his father, who was out in the city centre with his partner.

When they returned, Noton, of Wanlip Lane, Birstall, made fun of him for running off to get his dad. The young man's father had words with Noton and his group of friends, which was all caught on city centre CCTV. As the males were talking, the defendant suddenly punched the young man's father in the face, knocking him to the ground, the footage shows.

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The father fell backwards and bashed his head on the road and lost consciousness. Noton rushed to help his victim, telling him: "I'm sorry, bro. I didn't mean to do it. We need to call an ambulance, quick."

Leicestershire Police arrived and Noton tried to flee, but was quickly caught. The victim was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but later transferred to the care of the neurosurgery specialists at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

The court heard from prosecutor Andrew Jordan, that long after the incident, the victim was still suffering from the effects of the attack, including loss of taste and hearing, brain fog, mood swings and fear of being in social situations with strangers. Mr Jordan added that after his release from hospital the victim had been "dysfunctional" and reliant on his partner for day-to-day living.

The man, who worked with his son as a handyman, could not work or drive for three months. This meant a loss of income for both him and his son, leaving the family in mortgage arrears.

Noton had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm without intent at a previous hearing. He wept in the dock as the CCTV clip of the attack was shown to Judge Timothy Spencer KC.

Nicola Patten, representing Noton, asked the judge not to jail her client and give him a suspended sentence instead. She said her client was "guilt-ridden" and that his remorse was "entirely genuine".

She said: "He made a terrible, completely out-of-character choice to hit someone. He knows the impact one punch can have."

The court hearing was paused while prosecutor Mr Jordan left the room to speak briefly with the victim's partner, who had attended court. After returning to court, Mr Jordan told the judge: "She has asked me to tell your honour that she doesn't want this young man to go to prison."

The judge said it was "a hugely emotional case on both sides". But he went on to give Noton an immediate prison sentence.

He told Noton: "I've seen what you've done in the footage. That was not the limit of the aggressive behaviour."

He jailed Noton for 14 months, telling him: "I've wrestled with your case from the first time we met. With some regret, I've come to the view I would be failing my duty if I didn't make that an immediate sentence."

As he was taken down, Noton looked at the victim's partner in court and told her: "I'm sorry". She replied: "I know you are."