Man strangled Gwynedd bus passenger after row about teeth

A man strangled a bus passenger in a row about teeth. Brendon Williams got off the bus but later brandished a knife and punched a different victim in a separate incident that night.

The 36-year-old, of Bryntirion, Dolgellau, pleaded guilty to charges including strangulation and unlawful wounding. A judge at Caernarfon Crown Court today jailed him for a total of 35 months.

Prosecutor Ryan Rothwell said in the first incident in June a woman called Charley Bromley was with her girlfriend on the T2 Caernarfon to Dolgellau bus. Ms Bromley got a beer out of a bag and Williams turned round and asked if she would share it. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here

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When she refused he stared at her for about a minute. He turned back around.

But soon afterwards he turned around again and said Ms Bromley's girlfriend - a Jennifer Williams - sounded like an "English c***", said the prosecutor Mr Rothwell.

Jennifer told the defendant: "At least I've got my teeth". The defendant asked her if she liked having her teeth and threatened to knock them into her mouth.

The defendant then grabbed Ms Bromley by the neck till she could barely breathe, the court heard. Ms Bromley apologised and tried to say it was only banter but Williams "continued readjusting his hold" on her neck.

The bus reached the bridge in Dolgellau and Williams let go. He left telling Ms Bromley "Sort your missus out," said Mr Rothwell.

Later that evening there was an unrelated incident. A man called Caleb Jones left the Cross Keys pub in Dolgellau. He was standing outside the HSBC bank with others when Williams said "One of you, come here now."

This made Mr Jones feel uncomfortable but Williams repeated the comment. Later Mr Jones' mother, Roxanne Redman, who had heard about the incident, came over.

She and others saw Williams holding a black-handled knife with a five or six inch blade and waving it in an upright position. Williams started chasing Mr Jones around a car while holding the knife, the court heard.

He seemed to be "under the influence" of something. Ms Redman stepped in front of Mr Jones to protect her son and tried to calm down Williams.

It didn't work and she punched Williams but he punched her back. She fell down, hitting her head on a car.

She was cut and "covered in blood" and may have lost consciousness., said Mr Rothwell. Ms Redman went to hospital where she was treated for a four to five cms cut and bruises.

Staff cleaned and sutured the wound and gave her painkillers and antibiotics. Simon Rogers, defending, said the bus incident was unpleasant but it had been "minor and short-lived". He pointed out Williams had not been charged with a racial offence.

He said in the second incident in Dolgellau the complainant Ms Redman had struck Williams first, and it had only then been a single punch by Williams.

The judge His Honour Timothy Petts told Williams the strangling offence would have been a "frightening and painful experience". Later Williams caused Ms Redman a nasty injury although he hadn't injured anyone with the knife.

The judge said it had to be immediate custody and jailed Williams for 20 months for intentional strangulation and 15 months for unlawful wounding to run consecutively.

For possessing the knife the defendant got a 15-month jail term to run concurrently.

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