Sentence hike for glass attacker

IT should have been a celebration. But one moment of unprovoked brutality at a christening left Michael Banthorpe fearing for his life.

Stranger Ryan Hamilton, smashed a glass over his head. It covered Michael and his baby boy in blood – and landed Hamilton behind bars.

This week, a trio of top judges almost doubled Hamilton’s 20-month sentence.

But as he relives his ordeal, Michael says: “It still isn’t enough. I wanted a five-year sentence – but at least now I feel like I’ve had the last laugh.”

Eight months since the glassing attack, Michael said his physical scars have healed. But he still feels let down by the British justice system over the attack.

“I was disgusted when I heard he only got 20 months, and just felt let down,” said the 26-year-old.

“Everything to get him to court was so slow moving, and at times I felt like I would be better off taking matters into my own hands. The only thing that stopped me was my son.”

That son, a court heard, was just 11 months when he too got caught up in Hamilton’s violent path.

CCTV showed Hamilton storming towards Michael in Stockton’s Elm Tree Social Club.

Court of Appeal judges have now upped the sentence to three years partially because it happened in front of children, including his victim’s son.

“Thankfully he wasn’t old enough, so he will have no psychological memories, but he had minor injuries,” said Michael, of Stockton.

Hamilton’s record includes battery convictions, and jailing him, Teesside Crown Court judge Sean Morris warned the 25-year-old he was lucky it wasn’t for murder.

Initially, the sentence meant Hamilton, of Radyr Close, would probably spend only this Christmas behind bars. But he could now spend next Christmas 2018 in prison too.