Gregory Davies guilty of stamping on Justin Eastwood's head and throwing ammonia in Herne Bay
Published: 15:51, 31 May 2019
Updated: 17:55, 31 May 2019
A bully who flung ammonia in the eyes of his partner’s ex-boyfriend before stamping on his head has been found guilty.
Gregory Davies, 36, erupted into a violent rage when he tossed the toxic liquid into Justin Eastwood’s face then set upon him.
As Mr Eastwood was lying on the floor Davies stamped on his face with such force he left a footprint.
High concentrations of ammonia can cause lung and eye damage alongside burning throat and lungs.
Mr Eastwood suffered a brain haemorrhage and broken facial bones during the assault.
Judge Catherine Brown ordered Davies from the dock and requested a report to investigate how dangerous he is.
“The jury convicted you of a very serious offence," she said.
“I’m going to remand you in custody and it is in your interest to co-operate with the author of that report.”
She told the guards: “Take him down now.”
'I thought he was dead, he was covered in blood, I was screaming and calling his name, I was hysterical'
The attack happened in Rowland Drive, Greenhill, on July 24 last year at 10.40pm as part of a feud between the two men.
Davies had entered a new relationship with Mr Eastwood’s ex-partner Hayley Silk.
He then took umbrage to remarks Mr Eastwood made outside his house, who was angry he’d lost his partner of 13 years.
The court heard Davies carried out the attack at the home where Miss Silk and Mr Eastwood were living.
Mum Denise Kitchen claimed she was “hysterical” to find her son lying motionless outside the property, with a footprint mark indented on his face.
“I thought he was dead, he was covered in blood, I was screaming and calling his name, I was hysterical,” she told Canterbury Crown Court.
Defending, Phil Rowley maintained his client was acting in self defence where he punched Mr Eastwood on the floor after he fell.
But Mr Eastwood fiercely contested Mr Rowley’s statement, claiming Davies “kicked the granny out of him".
Davies, of Thornden Wood Road in Greenhill, was seen tossing an axe before officers arrested him nearby.
He went on to assault the constables inside their patrol car, the court heard.
The axe was not used during the attacks or alleged assault, it is understood.
Davies pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a police officer and possessing an offensive weapon at a previous hearing.
He was found guilty today of wounding with intent, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Judge Brown adjourned sentencing for all convictions on July 12.
She will also sentence Davies for Actual Bodily Harm and criminal damage caused in a separate incident this year.
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Sean Axtell