Posted on 02/01/2002 6:12:02 AM PST by Arkle
AN ELVIS Presley fan has been jailed for viciously beating up his pal in a row over whether his idol was the king of rock 'n' roll.
Andrew Baggott, 36, snapped after his friend Peter Ali, 52, "did his head in" by arguing that soul singer Marvin Gaye was better.
Baggott denied he had attacked Mr Ali at the victim's flat last summer - breaking almost every bone in his face - but a jury did not believe him and found him guilty of wounding with intent.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Pearson said:
"Mr Ali suffered fractures to both cheek bones, both eye sockets, his nose, his jaw and two vertebrae in his neck. Surgeons rebuilt his face by inserting a dozen mini plates."
Forensic scientist Stephen Harrington, who examined the injured man's flat in Trecenydd, Caerphilly, said he found blood stains on doors and walls and blood had soaked into a carpet and sofa.
All the blood was Mr Ali's but DNA on a cigarette end in an ashtray matched Baggott by odds of one billion to one.
Baggott, from Tegfan, Trecenydd, Caerphilly, told Cardiff Crown Court he and Mr Ali had been friends for 16 years. He had visited him that evening but left early and went to bed.
Baggott said: "He was doing my head in. I like Elvis and West Ham - he likes Marvin Gaye, Bruce Lee and martial arts.
"He was going on about it and winding me up saying Elvis wasn't the best. I left because he was getting on my nerves. The last time I saw him he was all right. I didn't assault him."
Cross-examining him, Ms Pearson told Baggott: "You came to the end of your tether and clobbered him."
Baggott was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed for six years by Judge Peter Jacobs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.