‘Thatcham bar manager’ Luke Watts from Theale shattered man’s face in pub attack

A BAR manager who beat an Asian man senseless shattered his facial bones in an alleged racist attack.

Luke Watts, a former soldier who said he worked as a Thatcham bar manager, broke Vijay Sukamaran’s eye socket, nose and both sides of his jawbone with a single ‘sucker punch.’

He then punched another Asian man standing nearby.

Witnesses said he was shouting racial abuse as he did so.

Reading Crown Court has heard how 32-year-old Watts, of Theale High Street, admitted causing Mr Sukaraman grievous bodily harm in the unprovoked attack, and assaulting the second victim by beating him in Ye Olde Swan in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, on Sunday, July 23, last year.

But he denies the attacks were racially motivated.

The court has heard Watts has previous convictions for drug possession and affray, a reprimand for causing actual bodily harm, a caution for battery and a caution for theft.

Giving evidence, Watts told jurors he thought Mr Sukaraman had kicked his dog on a previous occasion, although he acknowledged this was mistaken.

He said he had drunk two bottles of whisky during an alcohol binge preceding the incident and had been “getting abuse from two of the mothers of my children.”

He added: “I’ve moved on but they obviously still have feelings for me.”

Of the attack on Mr Sukaraman, he said he believed at the time that he had hurt his dog and added: “I decided I was going to hurt him, physically.”

He said he had expected the other men in the pub to turn on him and was prepared to fight them, “seven against one.”

When no one offered him violence, he nevertheless punched the second victim.

Kate Hare, prosecuting, has told jurors: “Mr Watts accepts inflicting grievous bodily harm in count one (of the indictment) and assault by beating in count two.

“Your sole task will be to decide whether the offences were racially aggravated or not.”

She told the court that, although the CCTV footage was silent, they would hear from witnesses that Mr Watts had “unleashed a tirade” towards his victims, calling them P****s and referring to their skin colour.

Giving evidence, Mr Sukaraman said: “I felt someone watching me… he walked outside my peripheral vision so I couldn’t see him

“I felt a really large impact on my nose.”

Mr Sukaraman said he was knocked unconscious by the blow from Mr Watts, a burly man whose distinctive appearance includes tattoos covering half his face.

Under cross examination by Mr Watts’ barrister, Mr Sukaraman conceded that it was not, in fact, the first time he had seen Mr Watts.

He accepted that, in days prior to the attack, Mr Watts had grabbed him by the collar and falsely accused him of kicking his dog.

The trial, expected to conclude next week, continues.