North Belfast man sentenced following Newtownabbey assault

Kyle Walker pleaded guilty to the offences at Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, January 31 2024.

Today (Friday, March 22), Walker, whose address was listed as Loughview Glen in Belfast, was sentenced for these crimes. The term of 20 months will be served in custody and 20 months on licence - the sentences for both the grievous bodily harm and criminal damage will run concurrently.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Lenaghan said: “At approximately 11pm on February 14 2023, a 31-year-old man was in his home in the Longlands Road area of Newtownabbey with his partner when Kyle Walker entered his house and assaulted him by punching several times him to the head and face.

“The victim sustained significant injuries, including a fractured eye socket, a broken nose and dental fractures. He had to have surgery to repair his eye socket at a later date.”

Detective Inspector Lenaghan continued: “Our thoughts today are with the victim of this vicious attack.

"I want to thank the victim and all involved for their support throughout our investigation. We hope that the sentence imposed will help the victim, at some level, recover from such an awful ordeal.

“I also hope today's sentencing sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get away with this type of crime. We will work tirelessly to bring offenders before the courts so that that victims receive the justice they deserve.

“I would ask anyone who is a victim of crime to contact police on the non-emergency number 101, or 999 in an emergency, or submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

"You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/”