Clacton thugs seriously injured victims in street fight

Zachary Jagger, 27, and his friend Charlie Hearn, 29, both went out in Clacton "looking for trouble" in November last year.

Judge David Turner QC said after trying to force their way into a private party, the pair were caught up in a large street fight.

"You, Mr Jagger, appeared to have run off, chased by others and later to have driven off," he said.

"But you made the very unwise decision to return later, I suspect to seek to even the score, you say to assist a friend.

"A female is punched and kicked, others appear with wood and a fork.

"You drive off again, only to return later to drive into the group fighting, striking a male."

Jagger then drove at a woman "on several occasions", knocking her backwards a distance of 6ft. She suffered a double leg fracture.

Zachary Jagger

The judge accepted the circumstances of the fight are "murky", adding Jagger's car was attacked and he went back to the scene to collect his friend.

"But the reality is that again, this was entirely avoidable and grave conduct," he said.

Hearn used a knife to slash one man across the back, leaving him with "a thoroughly ugly cut, with stitches".

Judge Turner said: "You were to threaten, with the knife, another individual in an ugly way.

"You were involved in the same fight as was Mr Jagger and that, among other things, involved the punching and kicking of a female.

"Then you too were involved in a wounding of [a woman], slashing her with a Stanley knife to the face.

"This too is grave offending."

After the fight, Jagger made moves to destroy the Vauxhall Astra he used as a weapon.

Judge Turner said: "You deviously sought to avoid detection by disposing of the offending Astra vehicle."

He admitted charges of perverting the course of justice, affray, dangerous driving, and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Jagger also admitted wounding with intent in relation to a separate incident in February 2019, when he slashed a man in the face with a belt at a bar in Clacton.

The court heard he drew his studded belt from around his waist, before using it to slash the victim, Paul Filtness, across the face.

Mr Filtness was left with a "grave laceration" spanning 15cm from his temple to his chin.

The injury to Paul Filtness (Image: Newsquest)

The wound was "2cm to 3cm deep" and cut through fat and muscle.

Judge Turner said: "It follows it must have been a blow of very considerable force.

"This happened in the context of bar life and is just the sort of thing which terrifies the public on an evening out.

"This was mindless violence of the worst kind."

Jagger was given an extended sentence of ten years, with six years imprisonment and four years on licence.

Hearn, of Oakmead Road, Point Clear, admitted charges of wounding without intent, affray, making threats with a knife and wounding with intent.

Charlie Hearn (Image: Newsquest)

He was sentenced to four years behind bars.

Judge Turner accepted Hearn "is not inherently violent" and found the offender's remorse to be genuine.

"I accept that there was an element of the isolated, out of character to this, but nevertheless you got yourself into a situation which ought never to have arisen," he said.

"You're lightly convicted and you have some insight.

"But you had taken drink and drugs and it was no excuse. You went to the scene of this ugly incident armed with a knife to help your friend."