Hayden Daord and Daniel Haddock were involved in a “disgraceful incident of wanton and unwarranted violence”
Hayden Daord(Image: Merseyside Police)
A thug who left a pub landlord with a broken eye socket delivered a foul mouthed rant to a judge as he was jailed. Hayden Daord twice booted his victim to the head after he and a second man had punched him to the ground, the proprietor having attempted to intervene as fighting broke out on the premises.
The dad’s DNA was later discovered on a baseball cap which he had left behind at the scene of the crime. The violent scenes were initially sparked by a “haymaker” from armed forces veteran Daniel Haddock.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, that both defendants attended the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander pub in Eastham, Wirral, on January 24 this year and were part of a “boisterous” group of men who had gathered near to the entrance. CCTV footage showed them shaking hands and talking before Haddock threw a forceful punch at an unnamed man without warning, causing him to fall into another male who was then knocked to the floor.
Iain Criddle, prosecuting, described how landlord Andrew Kelly rushed over and “attempted to calm things down”. But he was instead punched to the face by both Daord and Haddock, similarly being sent sprawling to the ground as a result.
He was then shown on the footage trying to regain his feet, at which stage the former viciously kicked him twice to the head. Mr Kelly was seen in the video lying motionless before customers and members of staff came to his aid, having been left with injuries included fractured orbital bone.
Haddock was subsequently identified from the CCTV clip while Daord was linked to the incident after his DNA was discovered on a baseball cap which was knocked from his head during the altercation, both having fled in a car in the aftermath. They remained silent when interviewed by detectives following their arrests.
Daord, of Byrne Avenue in Rock Ferry, has five previous convictions for six offences, including being handed suspended sentences for affray in 2015 and assaulting an emergency services worker in 2022. The 29-year-old’s counsel Peter Killen said on his behalf: “He has a good work history on and off with the same employer. He supports his partner and two children.
“I will ask the court to take into account that the incident was short lived. It obviously erupts when a punch is thrown by Mr Haddock. My client understood or heard that there had been threats. Something is clearly going on.”
Of the period after the initial altercation, Mr Killen added: “The gentleman with his back to the camera can be seen with a glass behind his back. That man throws the contents of that glass, then the glass is thrown at the group.
“There was some aggression being exhibited by those two men prior to the incident. Mr Kelly was entirely innocent in all of this. My client wrongly thought that he had something to do with it and lashed out.”
Haddock, of Harrogate Walk in Rock Ferry, has convictions for using violence to secure entry to a premises, criminal damage, drink driving and possession of drugs. Paul Wood, defending the 27-year-old, told the court: “It was a very unsavoury incident.
“Put in very simple terms, this defendant is perhaps not quite as involved as his co-defendant. There must have been serious distress caused by what was a haymaker of a blow. It was disgraceful behaviour. If anybody was sat in the pub with their family, they would be disgusted by what they had seen.
“Clearly, he was going through an emotionally difficult time and he had difficulties with his mental health. He is very sorry. He has found these proceedings very worrying. He is entirely embarrassed and ashamed of his behaviour.
“This defendant works as a rope access supervisor. The defendant’s car was seized as part of these proceedings with all of his equipment in it and, thus, he lost his job. He has got further full-time employment. He was previously self-employed. It is rather scary work. It is very high risk.
“There is a very positive side to this defendant. He served his country for seven years in the Army and was promoted to lance corporal. He was very highly thought of, an individual who was willing to put his life on the line in order to serve his country.
“He has a close relationship with his father. He has helped to support him. He has got mental health issues himself. He is somebody who, while we see one side of his personality on this video, has many positive qualities.”
Daord admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm while Haddock pleaded guilty to affray. They returned to court in order to be sentenced this morning, Thursday, and received an immediate 14-month imprisonment and nine months suspended for 18 months respectively.
Both were handed restraining orders banning them from the pub and contacting Mr Kelly for five years. Haddock was also told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 25 days.
Sentencing, Judge Charlotte Crangle said: “You both engaged in a disgraceful incident of wanton and unwarranted violence in a pub. Daniel Haddock, while you say that there were threats issued to you, there appear to have been plenty of opportunities available for you to avoid a confrontation. It seems to me that you were not in danger of any immediate attack or assault.
“You maintain that you had not drunk alcohol to excess and maintain that you only had two pints and no illicit substances. I view that claim with some scepticism, having viewed the footage showing you bouncing around and continuing to offer violence to others.
“Hayden Daord, you accept that you were considerably intoxicated, having been out drinking since the afternoon of that day. You have previous convictions for using unlawful violence in drink in public, yet you chose to go out drinking to excess in this way when you knew that it has resulted in this behaviour.”
Of Mr Kelly, the judge said: “Nothing he did in coming over and trying to calm things down justifies the two forceful kicks that you delivered to his face, knocking him out cold. This court has seen kicks to the head which have not resulted in the victim walking away and have resulted in fatal injuries.
“You are lucky that such significant injuries were not caused that day. I imagine that he did not feel particularly lucky that night, when all he was doing was his job. What you did was the trigger for further violence and disorder in that pub.”
As he was led down to the cells, Daord ranted: “You want to look at the f***ing footage. Why don’t you look at the 30 per cent before and after?”
Daord was also heard to make derogatory remarks concerning Mr Kelly, which the ECHO has chosen not to report, after learning his sentence. Turning to Haddock, Judge Crangle added: “You have a lack of previous convictions for violence. A mitigating feature is the military service which you performed in service of your country.
“In my judgement, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. It is a finely balanced exercise, but I have come to the conclusion in your case that I can just suspend the sentence.”