Homeless man jailed for attacking beggar with mop

A homeless man who attacked a fellow beggar with a mop handle outside a Tesco store has been jailed for four years.

Drug addict Dane Annis, 34, hit the man repeatedly after he made an abusive comment about his girlfriend, leaving him with a fractured eye socket and a broken nose.

Annis, of no fixed address, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison by a judge at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that the evening before the attack in August 2023, the victim had allegedly slapped Annis' girlfriend and poured apple juice over her.

In his defence, barrister Laura McBride said Annis had overreacted by attacking him with the mop, and said he was now ashamed of what he had done.

Prosecutor John Hobley said Annis had repeatedly hit the victim with the wooden mop handle as he tried to defend himself.

The case had been adjourned previously for up-to-date medical information, but the police had not been able to trace the complainant.

Sentencing Annis, Judge Kirstie Watson said he had targeted the man's face to cause maximum injury.

His barrister said since being remanded in custody last October, Annis had taken positive steps to deal with his issues and was now drug-free.

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