Christopher Todd, jailed for wounding(Image: Northumbria Police)

Backworth thug jailed for attacking fellow hotel guest he befriended during fire alarm

Christopher Todd, of Backworth, left a fellow hotel guest injured and terrified after suddenly turning on him

by · ChronicleLive

A thug who left a fellow hotel guest he met during a fire alarm begging him to stop attacking him has been jailed.

Christopher Todd, the victim and their partners ended up drinking together after the early morning alarm saw them end up in the corridor together. After initially getting on, Todd then suddenly turned violent for no apparent reason, punching the other man and hitting him over the head with a vodka bottle.

The victim was left pleading for him to stop and when he did so, he threatened to make a false and malicious claim of rape against the victim if he reported the violence to police. Now former soldier Todd, 35, of Harle Road, Backworth, North Tyneside has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard the victim had been staying at The Village Hotel, in North Tyneside, with his partner in August. Having spent the night at a local bingo hall, they returned to their room.

Around 2am, a fire alarm went off and they ended up in the corridor with other guests, during which time they got talking to Todd and his partner. The two couples then ended up drinking together in the hotel.

After a while, Todd asked the other man to drive him to Benwell, which he took as a reference to going to buy drugs. He refused, saying he was drunk and couldn't drive.

Everything appeared fine but then without warning and for no clear reason, Todd suddenly attacked the other man. Graham O'Sullivan, prosecuting, said: "He hit him several times to the face, knocking him to the floor. He curled up in a ball to try to protect himself.

"The victim begged him to stop and apologised for whatever he thought he had done wrong. The defendant then hit him over the back of the head with a vodka bottle and made threats to him saying he needed to cut his own b******s off and threatened to torture him for 45 minutes."

The victim shook his girlfriend awake and on seeing him in an injured state, she screamed at Todd, who threatened that if police were contacted he would accuse the victim of rape.

An ambulance was called for the victim, who was bleeding and had bruising and swelling, a fracture to his nose and a cut to the back of his head. He said in a victim impact statement: "I genuinely feared for my life. I will never forget having to beg him to stop."

Todd, who has 52 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and was jailed for 22 months.

Christopher Knox, defending, said the former army man is qualified to work offshore.

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