A dad knocked out a fellow children’s football coach who had an affair with his wife, a court heard.
Ian Smith attacked Thomas Shewell with a pool cue following a chance encounter at The Family Tree social club in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull.
The victim was knocked ‘out cold’ after the attack in the car park of a social club where he had gone to watch the Champions League final in 2023.
In a ferocious attack, the 43-year-old punched the victim to the ground, kicked him in the head and screamed ‘f****** p**** you ruined my life’, a prosecutor said
The victim was left unconscious and suffered serious facial injures from the incident.
Smith, of Wyckham Road, Castle Bromwich admitted unlawful wounding but was spared jail at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, March 13.
The self-employed father-of-three was sentenced to 16 months, suspended for two years including orders to carry out 24 days of rehabilitation activity and pay Mr Shewell £1,000 compensation.
Mr Shewell said he was left ‘shaken’ by the attack and now worries about going out to watch football with his friends.
Ian Smith pictured arriving at Birmingham Crown Court for sentencing
Prosecutor Philip Brunt said: ‘Mr Shewell was out cold on the ground.
‘There was some suggestion he had a fit. The publican describes putting him into a recovery position.
‘Police and ambulance arrived but Mr Smith had left the scene.’
Mr Shewell was taken to Heartlands Hospital having mainly suffered cuts and bruises, but he was expected to make a full recovery.
Gurdeep Garcha KC, defending, stated that Smith’s comment to Mr Shewell while he was on the ground alluded to the ‘background and dynamic’ between them.
He said: ‘The victim was a football coach. In 2017 and 2018 he and Mrs Smith embarked on a relationship which lasted several months.
‘It was an illicit relationship. That affair was discovered and unsurprisingly caused massive upheaval in the defendant’s marriage and home life.
‘They worked very hard to heal the hurt and repair the marriage.’
The attack took place at the Family Tree Social Club in Solihull
Ian Smith attacked Thomas Shewell with a pool cue during the Champions League Final in 2023
He told the court Mr Smith did not look to confront Mr Shewell, despite them both being children’s football coaches and moving in the same circles.
Instead, he ‘left it’ to focus on rebuilding his marriage, the barrister submitted.
However on the day of the incident Mr Garcha said there was ‘unresolved pain and anger at what had happened’.
He said: ‘Sadly on that day he lost his self control and lashed out.’
He stated it was a ‘chance meeting’ during which the ‘red mist came down’ on his client.
Mr Garcha added that Smith was genuinely remorseful and expressed his public apologies to Mr Shewell.
He stated the father-of-three had a ‘significant’ mortgage and was a ‘responsible, ordinarily decent, hard-working family man doing the best to provide for his children’.
Recorder Joe French concluded Smith acted out of ‘misplaced jealousy’.
He said: ‘It was persistent. It was a torrent of kicks and punches.
‘Any more persistent Mr Shewell may not have been here today. It was persistent and prolonged.’
The judge stated the ‘vicious’ nature of the attack could warrant immediate imprisonment but he took into account Smith’s lack of previous convictions and low risk of reoffending.
He concluded: ‘On balance, it’s a close call, I’m going to suspend the sentence.’
