A Tonbridge man has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison following a violent pub assault which left his victim suffering multiple injuries including bleeds to the brain.
Sonny Coster repeatedly beat the man around the head with empty half-pint glasses, during an unprovoked attack at the Station House Pub in Barden Road.
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Kent Police reported Coster had visited the premises along with several associates, during the evening of 3 December 2022 and was unknown to the victim who was playing pool with a friend. The man reported he began to feel uneasy as several males were staring in his direction. When an altercation started Coster was in the pub garden but rushed inside and armed himself with a glass in each hand.
He attacked the victim from behind, using a large overhead swing and striking his head with one of the glasses. The victim was knocked to the ground where Coster continued to beat him with both glasses, aiming repeated blows to his head, face and neck. He eventually fled the scene along with the other people in his group.
The victim required urgent and immediate medical attention and was taken to hospital suffering multiple bleeds to the brain, as well as injuries including broken teeth and ribs.
An investigation led to Coster’s arrest on 28 February 2023, and he was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Coster, from Tonbridge pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. On 10 April 2024, he was sentenced to four years and nine months’ imprisonment and told he will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole.
Leading the investigation was Detective Constable Hayley Campbell, who said:
‘Coster subjected his victim to a brutal and terrifying assault which could easily have had fatal consequences. He continued to rain blows upon the man even when he was lying unconscious. It was an entirely unprovoked attack which has had a profound and devastating impact on the victim. He has been left suffering several long-term injuries and continues to endure the psychological trauma resulting from this horrific ordeal.
‘I’d like to personally thank the victim, for their patience, support, and courage in assisting our investigation and hope they are able take some comfort and reassurance now that Coster has now faced justice. The staff at the pub are to also be commended, for the swift and vital first aid they provided before paramedics and officers arrived at the scene’.