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Coronation Street star James Cartwright battered a man in a unprovoked fight at a nightclub 6<\/p>\n Footage showed the actor lashing out at innocent dad Phil Mason despite the pair never speakingCredit: PP.<\/p>\n Cartwright<\/a>, scaffolder Theo Silverton in the ITV soap<\/a>, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and given an 18-month jail<\/a> term, suspended a year.<\/p>\n Passing sentence, the judge told him: \u201cI don\u2019t know what possessed you to act in the way you did.<\/p>\n \u201cYou punched him very hard in the face for little or no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Cartwright, 40, joined Corrie in March and his character has a gay fling in a current storyline.<\/p>\n He has also played Morrissey in the film 24 Hour Party People and starred in radio\u2019s The Archers.<\/p>\n Appalled victim Phil, 42, still suffers the effects of the punch and was shocked to spot the actor on his TV.<\/p>\n He said Cartwright has never apologised, adding: \u201cIt\u2019s sickening that a man with a violent criminal past has a starring role in one of Britain\u2019s biggest soaps<\/a>.<\/p>\n ITV needs to explain why they\u2019ve given this man a job.<\/p>\n \u201cViewers will think he\u2019s a bit of a charmer when in reality he attacked me for no reason and could have blinded me, or worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cITV<\/a> need to decide whether having him on screen sends out the right message.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Coronation Street legend sparks concern days after hospital dash, saying \u2018I\u2019m in mad pain\u2019<\/p>\n Phil added: \u201cI don\u2019t want to see him on the telly in my living room after what he did to me and what he put me through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Phil was attacked on a night out with his football team at Applejax nightspot in Chorley, Lancs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The dad of one said: \u201cI went to the bar to get some drinks as I had the kitty.\u00a0Cartwright was standing at the bar by himself. I didn\u2019t speak or have any interaction with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe lads came over and had their drinks and then the next thing I knew I was on the floor.\u00a0I didn\u2019t actually see it coming. I must have been knocked out.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone called an ambulance and I was taken to A&E and they did an X-ray and told me I had a fractured eye socket and that my left eye had sunk.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was shocked as I could feel the blood dripping but just thought it was a cut and that I would have some stitches.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In court, it was said Cartwright hit Phil with a heavy blow.<\/p>\n Phil had to stay in hospital for observation before surgeons operated, inserting a mesh into the socket to lift it back into place and reinforce the bone.\u00a0<\/p>\n You often hear of people being blinded by being smashed in their face, or someone being punched in the head and falling back and hitting their head and dying<\/p>\n Phil<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He was allowed home later that day but had to wear an eye patch for two weeks to prevent infection and his eye was badly swollen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Phil added: \u201cYou often hear of people being blinded by being smashed in their face, or someone being punched in the head and falling back and hitting their head and dying.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only luck that meant I managed to escape without a more serious injury. Any blow to the face, worst case scenario, he could have killed me, couldn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n Phil was signed off for six weeks. But as a self-employed \u00a31,000-a-week electrician he returned to work after two weeks as he feared falling behind on his mortgage.<\/p>\n A few days after the attack, cops came round to take a statement.<\/p>\n The investigating officers told Phil that Cartwright had initially claimed he was acting in self-defence as he felt threatened.<\/p>\n But CCTV captured the June 2012 incident and showed Phil had no prior interaction with Cartwright.<\/p>\n Phil added: \u201cI saw the CCTV and it was like he was mad, saw me and just hit me. It was totally unprovoked. I never spoke to him. He didn\u2019t speak to me.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d never seen him before in my life or knew that he was on the TV. I only found that out much later.\u201d<\/p>\n Cartwright denied one count of grievous bodily harm when he appeared at Preston crown court<\/a> in July 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n He claimed to have acted in self- defence, but a jury convicted him following a trial. Besides the suspended custodial sentence, Cartwright was given a year\u2019s supervision and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.<\/p>\n He was told to pay \u00a32,000 compensation to Phil, plus \u00a32,000 towards prosecution costs.<\/p>\n Phil attended the trial, which was held in the court next to where one-eyed police killer Dale Cregan<\/a> was facing justice at the same time, and watched CCTV of Cartwright\u2019s violence as it was played to the jury.<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Phil was left with a fractured eye socketCredit: PP. 6<\/p>\n Cartwright as Theo with screen daughter Millie (Kaitlyn Earley)Credit: Rex<\/p>\n Defence barrister Neil Fryman said Cartwright, then 28, had no previous convictions. Mr Fryman said Cartwright had been successful in his acting career \u2014 winning a 2007 Royal Television Society Award for Best Leading Actor for his performance as Johnny in BBC\u2019s production Johnny Shakespeare, about an illiterate young man who gets taught to read by an ex-drama teacher.<\/p>\n Mr Fryman told the court: \u201cHe reached the dizzy heights of the National Theatre, the West End and the Best Actor award by the Royal Television Society.\u201d<\/p>\n It was totally unprovoked. I never spoke to him. He didn\u2019t speak to me<\/p>\n Phil<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Passing sentence, Judge Recorder Andrew Long told Cartwright: \u201cI don\u2019t know what possessed you to act in the way you did.<\/p>\n \u201cYou launched an attack upon him, punching him very hard in the face for little or no reason.<\/p>\n![\"Photograph](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/2025-phil-mason-attacked-actor-993422153.jpg\")
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