A 26 YEAR old man whose single punch had left a dad in a coma for several days and needing emergency brain surgery has been jailed for 34 months.

Lee Ainsworth, of Parc Bodnant, Llandudno, had pleaded guilty to wounding Graham Geal, 33, a computer programmer, at the town.

Caernarfon crown court heard that in 2015 Ainsworth had knocked out someone else with a single blow. Judge Timothy Petts said: ”In August an argument developed with Graham Geal for no good reason after you had been drinking. You thought he wasn’t going to return money you had given to him. You ran after him and punched him hard in the face, following through, it seems, with an elbow. He fell but hit his head such as to cause very severe injuries.” The judge said: ”He’s by no means recovered.”

Prosecuting counsel Anna Price said Ainsworth had cleaned his watch to get rid of evidence. The victim’s brain was swollen significantly and he would require further surgery to repair the skull.” A consultant neurosurgeon said a complete recovery wasn’t guaranteed. The dad had been in hospital at Stoke on Trent for a time and now had carers visiting him four times a day. Miss Price said he couldn’t remember the codes to do his job. Elen Owen, defending, said Ainsworth had been in a “dark place” with mental health problems. She declared: ”This isn’t a case of an entirely unprovoked assault. He says he lost his temper because he thought his money was being stolen. He’d given £40 to Mr Geal. A single punch had appalling consequences and Ainsworth was remorseful. He’s genuinely remorseful for the enormity of what he’s done. The consequences of this incident really have had an extremely sobering effect on this defendant.” Judge Petts imposed a restraining order banning contact by Ainsworth with his victim.