Joseph Smith found guilty of two counts of grievous bodily harm

Twenty three year old Joseph Smith smashed a stranger over the head with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka in Brighton in August 2018 has been jailed for seven years at Lewes Crown Court.

The court heard that on 12 August last year at around 11.45pm Smith’s victim had stopped for a kebab with a friend on his way to Brighton station while his girlfriend waited outside. Smith was being rude and abusive to passers-by in the street, and they approached the victim’s girlfriend and made a series of lewd comments towards her.

The victim left the shop and, accompanied by his girlfriend, started walking towards Brighton station trying to ignore Smith who was following them.

Police said Smith followed them to Brighton station and smashed the victim across the head with a large bottle of Grey Goose vodka. The victim was taken to hospital where he received treatment for multiple complex facial fractures.

As the victim’s girlfriend was trying to point him out, Smith boarded a train where he swapped his t-shirt with another passenger before taunting her saying that what he was wearing would be contrary to evidence on any CCTV footage.

He subsequently left the station before officers arrived but he was later arrested at an address in Burgess Hill in April 2019.

Prior to this incident Smith punched a man after being kicked out of a bar in Burgess Hill in March  2018, fracturing his jaw and knocking out several teeth.