A DJ who filmed himself urinating on a cancer patient has been jailed for 14 weeks and ordered to pay compensation. Leigh Brookfield's assault left the elderly victim in tears and "breathless" with shock, Llanelli Magistrates' Court heard.
Last month, Brookfield pleaded guilty to assaulting Peter Barton on Boxing Day in Llanelli Tennis and Squash Club. Mr Barton was standing next to the 40-year-old DJ at the urinals and speaking about his prostate cancer diagnosis when Brookfield said "sorry to hear that bud" and urinated on the back of the victim's trousers. Brookfield, a regular DJ at Llanelli venues for around 15 years, posted a video of the incident on Snapchat.
Mr Barton only realised what had happened after the footage circulated on social media and his "distraught" son contacted him. Prosecutor Kelly Rivers told the court Mr Barton was "gobsmacked" by the video. "When I saw this video I actually cried," Mr Barton said in a statement. "I couldn't believe someone could do that to another person. I was breathless and my blood pressure was through the roof."
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The victim also spoke about going shopping and people recognising him from the video. He felt embarrassment as he overheard whispered conversations. "I am extremely gutted about this," he said. "I just feel that [Brookfield's] actions were absolutely disgusting."
Brookfield, of Dan Y Lan in Felinfoel, has three previous convictions, all for drink-driving. His solicitor Robert Thomas said: "He is embarrassed and ashamed of what he has done. I think that comes across in the pre-sentence report. He is appalled at himself and makes an apology through the court today. He has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
"He is 40 years old and lives with his partner. He has got a child on the way, who is due to be born at the end of February, and also a 14-year-old daughter who is autistic. He is the main carer for her. His only previous convictions relate to motoring matters and it does seem to be out of context for a gentleman like this. At the time he was working as a DJ at local clubs, and that opportunity is obviously gone and not likely to be offered again. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
"He is on universal credit, with a disability element due to a long-term back issue. He is deemed [by the probation service] to pose a low risk of re-offending. He does accept he has for some time had a drink problem and been a user of recreational drugs. He says this has been a wake-up call for him. He has totally abstained from drink and drugs since the incident. The risk of custody quite frankly terrifies him and it would have an effect on innocent victims... such as his 14-year-old daughter who is autistic and relies heavily on him."
Mr Thomas asked for his client to be spared immediate custody. The pre-sentence report also suggested he could avoid an immediate prison term. But District Judge Mark Layton said a 14-week jail term was the correct sentence given the seriousness of the crime. He told Brookfield: "[Mr Barton] engaged you in polite conversation and told you he was suffering from prostate cancer. Most would have responded with kind words of sympathy. Your response was to urinate on the back of his clothing... It was an assault on a vulnerable victim. You were clearly mocking him while in drink."
Brookfield must pay compensation of £500 to the victim, £85 in prosecution costs and a £154 victim services surcharge.
In a Facebook post from the night of the assault, Mr Brookfield wrote: "It's just something me and the boys do when we are drunk, and until watching the video back I didn't realise that the nice gentleman next to me was going through health problems." He later told WalesOnline he was "absolutely paralytically drunk" when the incident happened. He added: "My hand on my heart, I was not aware of what the gentleman was saying to me. I was crying watching what I did."
The DJ said it was meant to be his "last hurrah" drinking session before his partner gives birth early this year. When we asked if he had done anything similar in the past, he replied: "It's something me and the boys have done over the years amongst each other." Asked if he had done it to strangers in the past, he said: "We've been abroad and done it and the whole pub has been doing it in Benidorm, something stupid like that. That's not something I would do to a stranger, personally. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, I was just out of it." You can read the full interview here.
Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Inspector Phil Rowe said: “This was a shocking incident committed against a vulnerable man who was enjoying an evening with friends. To act in this way towards someone who was striking up polite conversation – and then to share it on social media – is vile, and understandably caused considerable concern in the community.
“We hope that today’s sentence goes some way to make the victim feel that justice has been done, and enable him to move on from the incident. We also hope that this sentence sends a message that this behaviour will not be tolerated within our community”
