February 18, 2022 9.49 am This story is over 25 months old

Lincoln man jailed for “ferocious” attack in High Street bar

The victim, a new father, couldn’t take photos with his son on their first Christmas together
Nicholas Clarke, 31, was jailed for four and a half years. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police

A man who left a new dad needing 46 stitches to his face after he repeatedly punched him while holding a glass has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Nicholas Clarke, 31, carried out the “frantic and ferocious” attack on bricklayer Harvey Melladay just four days before Christmas.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Mr Melladay’s injuries were so upsetting that he could not have any photographs taken with his partner and their eight-month-old son on Christmas Day.

The court was told Clarke, from Cherry Willingham, committed the unprovoked attack after drinking whiskey in Craft Bar on Lincoln High Street.

Mr Melladay was on a Christmas night out with his football side when he was attacked at around midnight on 21 December, 2019.

Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst told Clarke: “Harvey Melladay seemed to bump into you and apologised. You did not accept that apology and a short time later you bumped into him.

“You headbutted him, before punching him four times while holding a glass. The glass broke after the first blow.”

The court heard Clarke was pushed away by Mr Melladay’s brother, Guy Melladay, who also suffered bruising to his left eye after he was punched by Clarke.

Clarke was ejected from the bar and arrested later the same night at his home, but he was unfit to be interviewed straight away.

He could only recall being thrown out of the bar and thought it was for a few shoves.

Harvey Melladay chose to read out his victim personal statement in court and described the impact of the attack.

Mr Melladay told the court he required 46 external stitches to his face and was left unable to have photographs with his partner and their young son on their first Christmas together.

“I didn’t want him to be scared,” Mr Melladay explained. “I didn’t want him to remember me like that.”

Mr Melladay said he left his job with the family bricklaying business because he knew Clarke also worked on sites around the city as a scaffolder.

The court heard Mr Melladay retrained as a health care support worker but had to leave that job after six months when people kept asking about his facial injuries, and he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by his GP.

He later returned to bricklaying because he knew people would not ask him about his facial injuries.

Stuart Lody, mitigating, told the court Clarke was a hard working man who had made the unusual decision to drink whiskey on the night of the attack.

“He was full of remorse at the time and let out a gasp when he was shown the CCTV.”

Mr Lody said witnesses described Clarke as looking “wired,” but he did not take drugs.

“He can’t explain it,” Mr Lody added.

Clarke, of Lady Meers Road, Cherry Willingham, pleaded guilty to wounding Harvey Melladay with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on December, 21 2019.

He also admitted assault causing actual bodily harm to Guy Melladay on the same date.

Passing sentence Judge Hirst told Clarke his offending was aggravated by the use of a weapon and the impact on Harvey Melladay.

Judge Hirst said: “There were multiple blows with the glass. The first blow shattered the glass. There were then three blows with the shattered glass.

“You know perfectly well it could have been much worse, people can lose eyes.”