R v Alex Fenton

Facts

Alex Fenton, now aged 27 and aged 23 at the time, faced two indictments in the Crown Court at Cambridge. In the early hours of 7 August 2022 he was arguing with a young woman in a city centre; the victim, Mark Ireland, and his then girlfriend intervened, and the offender took exception and attacked Mr Ireland from behind. Two other men, Louis Smith and Kyle Smith, apparently unconnected to the offender, joined in; the offender punched Mr Ireland four times to the head, and a punch by Kyle Smith knocked him unconscious. Mr Ireland suffered a traumatic brain injury, with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3 at the scene, skull fractures, sheering of nerve fibres and bleeding on the brain; he was ventilated, admitted to critical care and remained in hospital for three weeks, with continuing balance, psychological and alcohol-related problems. The offender's dropped mobile telephone revealed street-level dealing in cocaine and cannabis, and a search of his home on 22 August 2022 uncovered 135 grams of cannabis and about £225 in cash. On 23 January 2026 he pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm contrary to section 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 and to three drugs offences. His Honour Judge Hurst imposed a total of 16 months' imprisonment suspended for two years. The Solicitor General referred the sentence as unduly lenient.