A MAN'S sight would be affected for the rest of his life after an unprovoked attack, a court was told.

Victim Alexander Robert Jones was struck full in the face with a piece of wood for no reason at all, Mold Crown Court heard.

The attacker, Zac Hanson Ferguson, 27, was today jailed for 18 months after he admitted wounding Mr Jones at Tanyfelin in Greenfield, back in February last year.

Ferguson, of Chestnut Close in Flint, was on licence from an earlier sentence at the time and had a number of previous convictions for violence.

Judge Huw Rees made a three year restraining order under which he is not to approach the victim in any way.

Prosecuting barrister Joe Maxwell told how the victim needed four stitches to a wound below the left eye.

But a retina was ruptured, he had blurred vision, and while it had improved he had been told that his sight would be affected for the rest of his life.

The judge said that in a back handed motion the defendant had used a wooden bed slat to hit his victim full in the face, to the left eye.

It was a single but effective, hard blow on an unsuspecting victim who had not done anything at all to the defendant.

He had been injured to the eye, one off the most sensitive parts of the body.

Ferguson had told him he was lucky he had “not got any more” before leaving.

“His vision is still blurred and he has been told that he will not have clear vision for the rest of his life,” Judge Rees said.

He was not in pain any more, unless he was in bright light.

Interviewed, the defendant put forward an alibi and suggested that it was a malicious, false complaint. But he later admitted a wounding charge.

Judge Rees said that there had been inexplicable delays in the case which were not of the defendant’s making and the point could now be made that he had not offended for the last 14 months.

But the offence was so serious that the sentence could not be suspended.

Miss Maxwell told how on February 28 last year Mr Jones was watching television in a bedroom with the defendant’s sister at her Greenfield home.

The defendant arrived and there was an argument between him and his sister.

Mr Jones stayed out of it but the defendant picked up the wooden slat which was some three feet long and struck Mr Jones full in the face.

Before leaving he told him: “You were lucky you did not get any more.”

In hospital the wound was stitched, he had CT scans which showed no fracture but his eye was damaged.

He had a ruptured retina, and blurred vision, and while he could see colours and shapes he could not see any detail. His eye was swollen and bruised.

Treatment was on going but his vision remained blurred and he had been told his vision would not be clear for the remainder of his life.

Defending barrister Matthew Dunford said his client had pleaded guilty, was genuinely remorseful, and while he had previous convictions for violence there were signs that he was changing his life.

He had given up taking cannabis which was a positive step forward, he and his partner had a child and were expecting their second, and he worked as a painter and decorator.

If he had his liberty then he would be able to pay compensation.

“He does accept that he has an unenviable record but there are signs of him beginning to live his life in a proper way,” said Mr Dunford.

The offence occurred 14 months ago, there had been no repetition with Mr Jones and he had not committed any further offence.

Mr Dunford suggested that the mitigation combined with the delays in the case meant the prison sentence could properly be suspended.