Mark Nolan, 39, downed seven bottles of beer before launching into a sickening attack in a Liverpool pub that left one of his victims, an aspiring dentist, permanently scarred
CCTV footage shows thug glassing student dentist in pub
Shocking CCTV footage shows the moment a boozed-up thug smashes a glass in a student dentist’s face.
Mark Nolan, 39, had visited the pub in Liverpool to watch a football match on television – but turned violent after downing up to seven bottles of beer, using two of them to attack his victims.
His violent outburst came after a woman made an accusation of sexual assault against his cousin, Raymond Perry. He then launched a barstool towards one of the men, who was left with a broken cheekbone and permanently scarred. The victim, an aspiring dentist, told the court he “could have been blinded or killed” as a result of the attack.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that “regulars” Nolan and Perry were both present in the Brookhouse pub in Wavertree, Liverpool on the evening of September 21 2023 when Perry was accused of “inappropriately touching” a woman, and was confronted by her boyfriend.
He was part of a group of students who were also in the pub that night, reports the Echo. While the 28-year-old, from the Toxteth area of the city, was only said to have “jokingly tapped her on the shoulder” and was ultimately not charged with any sexual offences, the interaction “appeared to be the catalyst” for the melee that followed.
David Watson, prosecuting, said Perry was pushed to the chest by the other man in the foyer, but then responded by punching him twice to the face. Nolan, also from Toxteth, was shown on CCTV running over from the table where he had been seated and striking the complainant over the head with a beer bottle before the incident was broken up by security staff.
Another man, Shyun Patel, had been at the pub with the victim of the first attack. As their group left the premises, around 10 minutes after the initial altercation, they were set upon by another unidentified man who punched both of them to the head.
Mr Patel was then “struck by a bottle at close quarters” by Nolan, causing him to “immediately wince” and put his hands to his face. Nolan was then shown putting his hood up and leaving “in haste”.
Perry then threw barstool towards the injured man, before also leaving in a car. Mr Patel was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital and was subsequently transferred to Aintree Hospital, having suffered a broken left cheekbone and a 5cm wound, which left the muscle beneath exposed. He also suffered a separate cut to the top of the head from where he had been hit by the chair.
Mr Patel, who was aged 21 at the time of the assault and had been studying dentistry at the University of Liverpool, will require cosmetic surgery to repair his facial scar. In a statement which was read to the court on his behalf, he detailed how the “events had left a lasting impact on his life”, adding: “The city of Liverpool and its people have always been open and kind to me. These events have changed how I feel about my surroundings.
“For a month after the assault, I covered the mirrors in my house with bin bags to avoid seeing the gash on my face. I stood up for what I believed was right that night for someone in a vulnerable position, hearing that a young woman had been subjected to inappropriate advances.
“No mother should ever look at her son’s face and feel upset. This crime could have blinded me or, worse, killed me if it had struck me to the temple. I stood up for what was right. I ask the court to ensure that these actions are not without consequences.”
Both defendants handed themselves in following a CCTV appeal by Merseyside Police. Perry went on to tell detectives under interview that he had acted in self-defence during the first portion of the incident, but accepted that he had then thrown the chair “in the heat of the moment” and “agreed that his actions had got out of hand”.
Nolan has five previous convictions for 15 offences, including for drug and firearms offences. He also made an appearance for affray in 2016 after a fight which saw him kick and stamp on his victim as he lay on the floor. He was found guilty of wounding with intent, and was jailed for five-and-a-half years on Tuesday.
Perry pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was handed nine-months imprisonment suspended for 18 months plus 180 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days.
Both men were also handed five-year restraining orders. Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: “Yet again, the court is dealing with violence breaking out on a licenced premises.
“It seems that you went independently to the Brookhouse pub that night. As far as you were concerned, Mr Nolan, you went out with another friend intending to watch a football match, and had spent four or five hours in the pub before the violence broke out.
“You say that you had six or seven bottles of beer on that night. Clearly, you, and also Mr Perry, were both in drink. You, Mr Perry, had also been in the pub for a substantial amount of time drinking.
“You had accosted her in some way. I am not dealing with you for that contact. It is only relevant, in a sense, to set the scene and because it turned out to be the catalyst for what was to follow.” Referencing Mr Patel’s statement, the judge said the attack had been a “severe, traumatic experience” on the victim, adding that there was “clearly a risk that there will be an irreversible impact.”
