A man with a long history of violence attacked a stranger in the street, striking his victim to the head with a hammer with such force that he fractured his skull and left him with neurological damage. Ashley Jones leapt from the passenger seat of a car in Barry on September 11, 2020, and approached his victim and within seconds beat him about the head with the weapon causing terrible and lasting injuries to the man. A judge said there was no conceivable reason for Jones' actions other than the 38-year-old was "excited by violence".
Jones has a long history of violent offending starting when he was a juvenile and including stabbing, beating, kicking, and headbutting people as well as throwing boiling water into a victim's face. The defendant had previously been convicted at trial of inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon when he appeared in the dock of Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing. The defendant was unrepresented in court as he had been during much of his trial after dispensing with the services of two barristers along the way.
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