11:30am Tuesday 10th April 2012
A TEENAGE thug whose brutal attack caused one of his victims permananent brain damage has been jailed for 10 years.
Lewis Packham, of Tavistock Close, Romsey, was described by a judge as a “dangerous” man who “catastrophically” and “dramatically” affected the lives of his three victims.
One of those victims, Andrew Tuckwell, suffered permanent brain damage after Packham knocked him to the ground and repeatedly stamped on his head, leaving his trainer print engraved on his face.
Just seven weeks earlier, Packham, 19, had unleashed another attack on a complete stranger – punching a man and pushing his girlfriend to the ground, causing her to break her ankle.
This week, Packham starting a 10-year jail term for his vicious crimes.
Bournemouth Crown Court heard how Packham “was out looking for a fight” when he attacked Mr Tuckwell on the night of July 8 last year.
The victim was walking home when he was knocked to the ground by Packham, who punched him twice.
Three men were said to have been involved in the attack, close to the junction of Winchester Hill and Cupernham Lane, but only Packham was charged.
He admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent as well as a charge of causing actual bodily harm to a second man, 21-year-old Tom Webb, at the same time.
Timothy Compton, prosecuting, told how a woman witnessed the assault. She told police: “I was horrified. It was absolutely sickening.
“He was kicking him as hard as he could and the man was moving like a rag doll. He kicked him about six times with his right foot.
“It was relentless and I really thought they were going to kill him. They were taking it in turns to stamp on his head.”
In February this year, Packham went on trial having denied inflicting grievous bodily harm on Kristi Kincaid and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on her boyfriend, Christopher Rutherford, in an attack that occurred on May 21. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on both charges.
The court heard how Packham had followed the couple, who had been attending an engagement party. He pushed Miss Kincaid, who broke her ankle as she fell back, while Mr Rutherford was punched and kicked.
Packham’s stepbrother, Charlie Moody, aged 18, also of Tavistock Close, and their friend, Daniel Wilkinson, aged 19, of Woodley Close, Romsey, were also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mr Rutherford.
Judge Peter Johnson handed Moody and Wilkinson 20-month sentences, suspended for two years, giving them 100 hours’ unpaid work and a 7pm-to-5am curfew lasting three months.
The judge told Packham he had read pre-sentence reports in which he claimed he was sorry, but told him: “I see little by way of remorse.”.
Packham was given eight-and-a-half years for the attack on Mr Tuckwell, with a concurrent 12-month sentence for attacking Mr Webb.
He was given 18 months for assaulting Miss Kincaid, with a 30-week concurrent sentence for attacking Mr Rutherford.
Judge Johnson told him: “Your default position when threatened or involved in a fight and your victim or ‘co-scrapper’ no longer poses a threat, is to kick them about the torso and head.
“I’m of the view that you are dangerous.”
Packham tried to blame his violence on drinking the turbocharged alcoholic energy drink, Crunk Juce.
Defence barrister, Keely Harvey, told the court that on the evening of July 8, Packham had downed two pints of lager and two cans of the drink.
Miss Harvey said Packham was drinking the one-and-a-half pint cans that night and police had spoken to him before the attack. She told how the 12 per cent alcohol drink mixes cognac with the equivalent of five Red Bull drinks and it “explained why he was like he was and why he won’t be like that in the future”. She said when he was being arrested and lied to officers that he was a Royal Marine, that was indicative of his state due to the drink.
Miss Harvey said another factor was that Packham had also stopped taking the medication he was prescribed for ADHD.
TEN years is not enough.
That was the view of Lewis Packham’s victims and their families, who said justice had not been done.
Andrew Tuckwell spent more than three weeks in a coma after his beating. He has suffered permanent brain damage, while Kristi Kincaid is still in pain recovering from the latest of three operations on her ankle.
Mr Tuckwell’s brother in law, Mark Golding, said: “Let’s be honest. He’ll be out in five years and Andrew’s got a life of living like this.
“He will get on with his life, while Andrew has to live with this and get on the best he can. He’s completely changed.”
The 29-year-old victim, from North Baddesley, has suffered loss of confidence and does not know if he will ever work again. He is recovering from his latest operation to break and realign his jaw.
Kristi Kincaid underwent a third operation in January as a metal pin was bulging out of her ankle. “I just feel like justice hasn’t really been done,” she said. “He was found guilty, but it won’t make anything better.”
The 24-year-old from Romsey lost confidence, too. She has changed jobs, moved home and refuses to go out with friends because she is too scared.
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