A Bury St Edmunds man who made homophobic comments before attacking two men during the early hours of New Year’s Day has been jailed for 16 months.
Sentencing 24-year-old Billy Sylvester at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday, May 5, Recorder Gabrielle Posner described his behaviour as "mindless thuggery".
She said he’d "smashed" the jaw of one victim and caused a nasty injury to the other man’s wrist after using homophobic langue towards them.
The attacks happened over two years ago on New Year's Day 2020.
The judge said Sylvester hadn’t stopped using drink and drugs until after his arrest for the New Year’s Day assaults and had only pleaded guilty on the day of his trial.
Sylvester, of Huston Road, Bury St Edmunds, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man on January 1, 2020, and an offence of assault causing actual bodily harm on the same date.
Simon Gladwell, for Sylvester, said his client didn’t have any recollection of the incident which took place after he’d consumed alcohol and drugs.
He said Sylvester had stayed out of trouble since the offences and was embarrassed about his behaviour.
Mr Gladwell said his client didn’t have any negative views about people’s sexuality or religion and had made the homophobic remarks while he was drunk.
He said Sylvester came from a close and supportive family and had a partner, a baby and a job.
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