Derbyshire working men’s club secretary beat drunk with “seven” punches

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The secretary of a Derbyshire working men’s club attacked a drunk man with a volley of seven punches - knocking him unconscious in the street, a court heard.

Martin Cooper, 53, was seen swinging the violent blows in CCTV footage of the barrage captured outside Shirebrook’s Carter Lane Working Men’s Club.

In the footage Cooper could be seen bending over as he hit the still-sitting man on May 8.

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Prosecutor Rosie McDaid told Chesterfield Magistrate Court how Cooper’s victim felt “immediate pain” and his head “exploding” before being hospitalised for a CT scan.

Martin Cooper, 53, was seen swinging the violent blows in CCTV footage of the barrage captured outside Shirebrook’s Carter Lane Working Men’s ClubMartin Cooper, 53, was seen swinging the violent blows in CCTV footage of the barrage captured outside Shirebrook’s Carter Lane Working Men’s Club
Martin Cooper, 53, was seen swinging the violent blows in CCTV footage of the barrage captured outside Shirebrook’s Carter Lane Working Men’s Club

The court heard moments before the attack Cooper had called the complainant - who he saw sitting outside the club - a “druggy” and a “waste of space”.

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Cooper - a minibus guide for disabled children - claimed he had punched the defenceless man in “panic”, having previous knowledge of the complainant.

Anna Sood, defending Cooper, said her client had been helping a woman who had drunk too much alcohol when he came across the defendant.

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She said: “As he was walking back the complainant asked him why he had called him a druggy. As he was walking away the complainant said ‘you’re dead’.

“He is very ashamed of his actions that evening - he accepts it went far beyond anything that could be self-defence. Mr Cooper had also had a couple of drinks.”

Cooper, of Carter Lane, Shirebrook, admitted assault with actual bodily harm.

District Judge Andrew Davison adjourned his case for a pre-sentence report.

He told the defendant: “All options remain open - custody is not inevitable but it is likely. This is a very serious case of violence.”