Prosecutor Andrew Kendall told Cardiff Crown Court there was a “background tension” between Jordan Gregory and another man.
At around 3pm on July 15 last year, the other man was drinking at The Baruc Arms on High Street when he was asked by a friend of Gregory’s to go outside.
When he went outside, Gregory hit him in the head with a bottle of beer. He hit the victim “at least twice” with the bottle before it slipped from his grip and fell to the floor.
Gregory then punched the victim repeatedly until a member of the public intervened.
The victim attended University Hospital of Wales later that day, and was found to have swelling, bruising, soft tissue injuries to his head, and a shoulder sprain.
Police on duty in Barry at around midnight on September 10 spotted a BMW driving past which was flagged as having no insurance.
The officer followed the driver on to Skomer Road and signalled for them to stop, but the driver sped off.
He reached speeds of 42mph in the 20mph limit on Merthyr Dyfan Road, mounted a kerb on Tennyson Road, and sped off at 83mph in a 30mph limit.
The four-minute chase was brought to an end after the driver turned into a dead end.
Gregory appeared to be drunk and his eyes were glazed. When asked if he had anything on him, he replied ‘Drugs, for f*** sake’ and threw a bag of cocaine on the floor.
Officers searched him and also found a bag of cannabis and a knuckleduster.
He was arrested and recorded having 126 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Further checks also revealed he only had a provisional driving licence.
Gregory, of Holton Road in Barry, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon, and possession of both cocaine and cannabis.
The court heard the 23-year-old had five previous convictions for nine offences.
Harriet Ealden, appearing for Gregory, said there had been an “ongoing conflict” between the defendant and the victim, and his judgement had been impaired by his alcoholism.
“His actions were impulsive and fuelled by alcohol misuse as well as poor emotional regulation,” she said.
Ms Ealden said he had made good progress since his arrest, and was now clean of alcohol for four or five months.
Judge Shomon Khan described the incident outside The Baruc Arms as a “vicious and sustained attack”.
“Mercifully the injuries were relatively minor,” he said.
Judge Khan sentenced Gregory to a total of two years and 10 months, suspended for three years. He must complete a 90-day alcohol monitoring requirement and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Gregory was banned from driving for two years, must pass an extended re-test, and must pay £300 in costs.
