Thug left teen blind in one eye

Joseph Baker left a teenager with “life-changing” injuries.

He gate-crashed a house party on Kenilworth Avenue, in Fleetwood.

Baker hit him the victim across the face with a bottle of Bacardi, slicing his eye open The attack left the 19-year-old victim blind in that eye Baker was found guilty of wounding and jailed by a judge at Preston Crown Court for the attack

A thug who blinded his victim in a vicious and unprovoked attack with a glass bottle has been jailed for nine years.

Joseph Baker left a teenager with “life-changing” injuries when he hit him across the face with a bottle of Bacardi, slicing his eye open

He gate-crashed a house party on Kenilworth Avenue, in Fleetwood, where he assaulted the 19-year-old victim, who also lives in the port.

Detectives said a police officer, who was “in the right place at the right time”, rushed the victim to hospital himself because of the severity of the injuries.

Baker, 20, formerly of South Park Drive, Marton, was found guilty of wounding and jailed by a judge at Preston Crown Court for the attack, which took place in December.

Det Con Emma Shuttleworth, of Blackpool CID, told said after the hearing: “The victim has got life-changing injuries that have affected his job and the way he presents himself.

“The attack slit his eye and left him blind in that eye.

“The victim is a really nice lad who was not out looking for trouble.

“This attack has changed his life, the poor lad. He didn’t deserve that.”

She said the victim was with friends at a house party, on Kenilworth Avenue, on the evening of December 6.

“They are a bunch of really nice kids,” she added. “They were having a house party for a friend who was moving away from the area.”

Baker was among a number of uninvited guests who turned up to the house late in the evening.

The attack is believed to have taken place either late on December 6 or in the early hours of the following day.

Det Con Shuttleworth said: “Without any provocation or any reason whatsoever, he approached the victim, who was outside the address, and smashed him in the face with a Bacardi bottle.

“A police officer driving down the street saw the commotion and arrested the suspect.

“It was a case of being in the right place at the right time – it could have escalated into something far worse.”

She said the injuries were so serious that the officer took the victim straight to hospital himself, rather than wait for an ambulance to arrive.

She praised the victim and other involved in helping bring Baker to justice, saying they had all been “really accommodating” of the legal process.

Baker was given a 12-year sentence – nine years in prison followed by three years on licence – at a hearing on Monday after being found guilty of wounding.

Blackpool Gazette