South Ockendon: Hammer thug hit woman and caved her father's head in

John Morgan became enraged after the woman ordered him out of her house after a group came back there from a drinking session at the pub.

As he was jailed for 12 years at court, he shouted at the judge that reports into him were “b*******”.

The 31-year-old, of no fixed address, went back to the woman’s house with the group in the early hours of the morning on June 27 last year in South Ockendon.

Initially, the atmosphere at the house was good but it deteriorated and Morgan ended up shouting abuse at the woman and threatening her.

At Morgan’s sentencing at Basildon Crown Court, Judge Samantha Cohen said: “This caused her to get up and demand you leave her house.

“She was asking for you to go, there was a hammer on the dining room table used to do some gardening earlier in the day.

“She picked it up to warn you off, but it didn’t work, you didn’t leave.

“You punched her in the face, and then an uppercut which forced her back and she landed on the ground.”

Woken up by the noise, the woman’s father came downstairs in order to calm the situation and pushed Morgan off his daughter.

Judge Cohen continued: “You turned your anger to him and punched him.

“You picked up the hammer and hit him in the head with it at least three times. There was a deposit skull fracture, serious cuts to his scalp and a broken arm.

“You became so enraged that all reason left you and you persisted in violence.

“Your parting words were that she got what she deserved.”

Morgan admitted causing grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm.

Morgan continued to protest the judge’s summary of the case and his pre-sentence report.

Judge Cohen told him to “be quiet” before jailing him for 12 years and six months with an additional three years and six months on licence.

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