Judge unable to ‘lower temperature’ on The Nightingales in Newbury – new evidence from Callum Brown’s mother means GBH trio Jake Bozarth, Dwayne Toussaint and Jake Blandford remain unsentenced

ISSUES on a violence-torn housing estate must remain unresolved while a gang who battered a rival into a coma remain unsentenced.

One barrister pleaded with a judge to finish the case in order to lower the “temperature” on The Nightingales in Greenham.

But despite the community allegedly being cowed by a gangland-style code of silence, a scheduled sentencing at Reading Crown Court on Thursday, January 16, was thrown into disarray after fresh evidence from the victim’s mother emerged.

Last November Jake Bozarth, Dwayne Toussaint and Jake Blandford, all from the estate and all aged 18 and 19, were convicted of causing Callum Brown grievous bodily harm with intent, of violent disorder and of possessing offensive weapons in the form of baseball bats or metal poles.

Blandford and Toussaint were also convicted of a second violent disorder by attacking another man on the estate, Oliver Mace.

All the offences happened on May 8 last year.

CCTV footage of the initial incident showed Brown fleeing behind a garage in Dickens Walk.

An audio recording played to the jury featured thuds, screaming and a loud crack before a male voice shouts in apparent jubilation: “Brownie just got done; Brownie just got done,” as another laughs maniacally.

Brown was hospitalised and maintained in a medically-induced coma while he was intubated, treated for bleeding on the brain and base of the skull, compression of the brain and a skull fracture.

He also underwent surgery to place a pressure bolt in his skull to monitor or drain excess fluid.

Bozarth, Toussaint and Blandford were all due to be sentenced at Thursday’s hearing.

But the court was told that Brown had refused to provide a victim impact statement and had declined to allow his medical records to be used.

During the trial of the trio who attacked him, Charles Royle, for Toussaint, had challenged Brown: “You’re violent, aren’t you?

“You’re a menace on The Nightingales estate; you rely on the fact that people don’t go to the police about your behaviour and so you can get away with it, don’t you?

“Because that’s how people operate on The Nightingales estate – you don’t co-operate with the police or you’re seen as a grass?”

Brown replied: “Not at all.”

Nevertheless, Brown has subsequently refused to co-operate with police, the court heard.

However despite that refusal, it emerged that his mother, Zoe Huntley, had provided evidence suggesting her son continued to suffer headaches and would need anti-seizure medication for life.

If true, said Judge Sarah Campbell, that might have a significant effect on any sentence she might pass.

Given that Brown refused to co-operate, she added, “perhaps we have to have independent confirmation of this”.

Mr Royle urged her to proceed that day, stating: “Your Honour knows the temperature on the estate, and what people think of each other.

“Given the temperature it would have been better if the crown had been able to resolve this.”

Judge Campbell replied: “This is a serious issue and a serious sentencing.

“I understand the families’ frustration – they want to know the outcome.

“However I am going to adjourn this.”

Sentencing was adjourned until March 7 to give the prosecution more time to seek independent confirmation of Ms Huntley’s claims.

All three defendants were meanwhile remanded back into custody.