Greenham man Thomas Etherton shattered drug addict’s eye socket in self defence, jurors rule

A MAN who shattered a drug addict’s eye socket with a single punch has been cleared of causing grievous bodily harm.

Jurors at Reading Crown Court took less than an hour-and-a half to acquit Thomas Etherton on Friday afternoon, January 12.

During the trial it emerged that 31-year-old Mr Etherton had arranged a rendezvous at the Shell garage on the A4 Bath Road at Padworth with Trevor Ball, who had agreed to return the phone he had found in the street in Newbury.

Mr Etherton offered first £20, then £40 for its return.

But, when he arrived, the court heard, he discovered it was broken in pieces.

Mr Etherton, who was living in Sandleford Lane, Greenham, told the jury he did not want to hand over the cash, insisting he had not been told beforehand it was broken.

Mr Ball had arrived with girlfriend Michelle Hoile and both were addicted to herojn and crack cocaine at the time.

Nevertheless, both insisted that money was not their main motivation in returning the phone Mr Ball had found in Newbury.

Mr Etherton denied unlawfully and maliciously causing grievous bodily harm on September 29, 2019, claiming he acted in self defence.

Giving evidence, Mr Etherton gave his version of events.

He said that Ms Hoile had grabbed hold of his arm and demanded the cash.

He added that a vein was pulsing in her neck and there was spittle round her mouth, such was her apparent rage at being denied the promised cash.

Meanwhile, Mr Ball had reached in his pocket and he feared he might be accessing a knife, said Mr Etherton.

“He (Mr Ball) was pulling something from his pocket...I felt uneasy so I punched him and ran out of there.

“I felt trapped...it felt like a dangerous situation.”

An independent witness told the court that Mr Ball had not displayed any aggression and that Mr Etherton had attacked without apparent provocation.

However, there were inconsistencies in her evidence, such as describing multiple blows when both prosecution and defence accepted there had been just one.

Jessica Goldring, defending, told jurors: “They (Mr Ball and Ms Hoile) were blocking his path back to his car.

“Mr Ball reached into his pocket for something; the defence say a single punch was a reasonable response.

“Self defence does not have to be perfectly balanced to be reasonable.

“Mr Etherton didn’t know what injuries his punch was going to cause – he said his intention wasn’t to cause harm but to get away from Ms Hoile’s grip.

“A person doesn’t have to wait until they’re hit before they use force to defend themselves.”

The prosecution had pointed out that Mr Etherton had previous convictions for violence, including attacking strangers without provocation.

However, Ms Goldring said there was a difference: in those instances Mr Etherton had admitted his guilt and not sought a trial.

She added: “He accepts he had issues with alcohol.

“However, this was different because, he says, he was completely sober and acting in self defence.”