Ice Hockey fan ‘never wants to visit Hull again’ after vicious attack on Murdoch’s Connection bridge

An ice hockey fan has vowed never to return to Hull after a vicious beating as he walked from the city ice arena. Six men set upon the victim as he walked alone towards the railway station on March 26, last year. As he walked past the group, he was initially called names by the group of men who punched him and kicked him on the ground before leaving him motionless on the Murdoch’s Connection Bridge over the A63[1].

One of the group, Thomas Ormsby, rugby tackled the victim before kicking him on the ground. Prosecuting, Ben Hammersley told Grimsby Crown Court[2] how the attack was captured on CCTV. Ormsby, 26, of Willingham Street, Grimsby admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and two further offences of failure to surrender to bail and failure to attend court.

The prosecutor said the man walking alone had homophobic slurs shouted at him. He then challenged the men saying “come on then.” One of the group said: “I’m going to teach you a lesson.” There was a scuffle before Ormsby launched a rugby tackle on the pedestrian.

On the ground he was kicked on his head and on his body. A CCTV operator captured the two-minute long attack and alerted Humberside Police[3], who arrested Ormsby. Mr Hammersley said the victim escaped without serious injury and was treated at hospital for bruising to his arm, body and head.

In his victim impact statement, read by Mr Hammersley, the man said: “I don’t want to visit Hull again. I would feel too frightened and worried if I ever came to Hull again. It has made me not want to go to the ice arena again or to get a taxi to and from the station.”

Mr Hammersley said in his interview Ormsby told police he reacted because he thought the man had got the better of his friend. “It was brotherhood mentality,” he said. For Ormsby, Ian Durant said his client accepted it was an “unnecessary and brutal and inexcusable” assault. He added it was not a prolonged assault and he had not been the instigator.

Mr Durant said his client had suffered trauma while on remand in prison, following the death of his brother in a hit-and-run crash. Sentencing Ormsby, Judge Timothy Clayson said it was fortunate the victim had not suffered serious injury. “He was still on the ground and someone delivered a final kick and he was left where he was. “This was a nasty group attack.

He was heavily outnumbered. You were older than the others. Your role should have been to stop it,” the judge said.

He jailed Ormsby for 12 months for the assault and a further month in prison for failure to surrender to bail..

References

1. ^ A63 (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Grimsby Crown Court (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ Humberside Police (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)