Racist bully attacked girlfriend, taxi driver and dad picking up son, 5, from school in string of drunken assaults

A five-year-old boy was forced to hide behind his father as a racist thug unleashed a series of drunken attacks.

Craig Davies, from Burnley, assaulted three different people in separate incidents and appeared at court yesterday (April 22) where he was jailed for 40 months. The Army veteran, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, committed the first attack on May 5, 2020, when he was travelling in a taxi on Grafton Street in Preston at around 5.30pm.

The victim, Prakash Patel, had just picked up his five-year-old son from school when Davies shouted at him, swearing at him and calling him a racial slur. Mr Patel told him to stop as his young son was present, and Davies apologised and "appeared to be beckoning Mr Patel over to the car".

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When the victim approached Davies again became aggressive, saying "I'll f***ing kill you if you weren't with your kid. I'm ex-forces." Mr Patel then began to walk away with his son, but Davies followed him, repeating racial slurs, the ECHO reports.

Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: "Mr Patel formed the view that he was up for a fight. He stood his ground. At this point, the five year old boy was behind his father, and while the two stood facing each other, the defendant said 'I'm going to f***ing kill you'".

He then proceeded to call him a racial slur. Ms Baqri added: "The defendant's fists were clenched and he was gesturing with his elbow towards the victim. At that point, the victim was in no doubt that he was drunk."

The victim tried to move away, but was struck in the back of the head by Davies. A scuffle broke out, and the victim dragged Davies back to the cab as Davies continued to verbally abuse him.

This incident was followed by a separate attack on a former girlfriend, Michelle Davis. The court heard the pair had begun a relationship in March 2020, in which Davies "was controlling and coercive towards her, verbally abused her, threatened her, made threats toward her property, and sent her abusive text messages."

He became violent during the first month of their relationship, throwing cigarette ash on her, pushing her and kicking her in a jealous rage after she visited a male friend. The pair reconciled, but in August 2020 Davies exploded once again after an argument about a car.

Ms Baqri said: "She asked him when she would have her car returned to her, upon which an argument started. The defendant told her he would give it back when he wanted to, and called her a 'f***ing slag'.

"His behaviour became increasingly aggressive, such that she asked him to leave the house. He refused, and in an effort to remove herself form the situation she went upstairs.

"The defendant followed and while upstairs he began to kick out at her and indeed made contact with her body, such that she fell to the floor. While she was on the floor he continued the assault, kicking the left side of her face, kicking her stomach and stamping on her body.

"She was shouting and begging him to stop. He eventually did so, such that she was able to get up from the floor.

"The abuse didn't end there. He followed her and shouted at her, calling her a 'f**ing slag', swearing at her and telling her that she should be dead."

After the incident, he sent the woman a number of abusive texts, telling her "I'm a better man without you because you're a slag bag, slutty my girl" and demanding £39,000 from her or he would "make a complaint to the taxman". She replied: "Leave me alone, you absolute bully".

The 39-year-old committed the most recent of the violent attacks at Liverpool Lime Street Station around 8am on August 16 2022, when taxi driver Michael Kessler refused to let him into his vehicle.

Ms Baqri said: "Due to the defendant's level of intoxication, the victim refused his request. The defendant didn't take kindly to that and he tried to get into the cab.

"He told the victim that he was getting in, upon which he tried to open the front door. While he was doing that, he was shouting 'I'm getting in, you baldy c**t'.

"He then proceeded to repeatedly headbutt the window of the cab. Such was the force that the taxi driver was concerned that the defendant may smash the window, and so he got out of his vehicle.

"He told police that what happened next was blurry as it all happened so fast, but he did remember the defendant saying 'I'll end you. I'll knock you out'."

Davies, who was holding a bottle of wine, was seen to smash the glass bottle on a metal bollard as he lashed out at Mr Kessler, cutting his left cheek. Davies, of Elizabeth Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to all three offences, comprising assault causing grievous bodily harm, controlling and coercive behaviour, and racially aggravated assault.

Gareth Roberts, defending, said Davies was an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and suffered from PTSD.

He said: "The Craig Davies who is before you today is very different to the man who was staggering around, often drunk, often on the cusp of some violence act of social disorder. There are a number of reasons for this.

"First is the absence of alcohol in his life, and second is the structure that prison has given. For the past eight years he has fought with alcoholism and poor mental health in the form of PTSD and the aftermath of a serious brain injury when he himself was the victim of an incident of violence.

"The more he was abusing alcohol, the worse his PTSD got, and as he drank more, his mental health continued to deteriorate. He found himself intermittently homeless, he lost work, he struggled to form relationships and he committed offences.

"All the offences were committed during that period of his life. It was a desperate time for him."

The judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, sentenced Davies to 20 months in prison for the assault on Ms Kessler, 12 months for the coercive and controlling behaviour towards Ms Davis, and 10 months for the racial assault of Mr Patel, adding up to a total of 42 months. This was reduced to 40 months to account for the delay in bringing the case to court.

Investigating officer DC Juliet Thomas said: "This was a horrifying attack on a man who was simply earning a living and attempting to protect his property. The victim has been left traumatised by what happened and feels nervous going about his everyday job, this in addition to the permanent facial scarring which Davies inflicted in his alcohol fuelled rage.

"Being intoxicated and claiming to thus have little memory of such a vicious attack is no defence as is clearly demonstrated by the sentence handed down by the courts."