'We've all got personal things we have to deal with - we don't go around thumping people because of it'

The victim of Sean O’Hagan’s unprovoked car park attack said today: “I don’t really care about the sentence.”

Thomas Norton, 60, from Redcar, talked of the enduring effects of the assault, described as “entirely unprovoked, cowardly and sustained” by a Teesside judge.

He told the Gazette: “He was a coward. He didn’t throw any punches when he was facing me. He did it all from behind.”

Mr Norton watched as his attacker, 19-year-old Sean O’Hagan, walked from Teesside Crown Court.

O’Hagan was given a one-year custodial sentence suspended for two years with 150 hours’ unpaid work, a year’s supervision and a £250 compensation order after he admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, his first offence.

Discussion of the assailant’s shame, remorse, apologies and personal problems at the time of the attack rang hollow to the victim, who listened from the public gallery.

Mr Norton said: “I don’t know what his personal life is but we’ve all got personal things we have to deal with.

“We don’t go around thumping people because of it.

“I didn’t have an apology. I haven’t had an apology from him. As far as I’m concerned that doesn’t mean anything.”

Sean O'Hagan

The court heard how the broken arm he suffered in the assault put the self-employed painter and decorator’s business at risk.

He said: “I’m working but the lads who work with me do all the heavy work. I can’t do it anymore.

“I’m ashamed of that because I’ve always led.

“It took 40 years to build the business up and one skinny lad managed to affect it.

“If the injury had sustained any longer we’d have lost the house. The business would go with it.”

He said he hoped the end of the court case would bring the traumatic events to a conclusion.

His wife Janet, 54, said: “I’m disappointed that he didn’t get a custodial sentence for what he’s done to my husband.

“The judge did what he thought best.

“£250 compensation is a joke. We could have lost our house because of him.”

Mr Norton previously said he had to undergo counselling and found it hard to move on from the assault, which happened as he and Janet went to Argos to get a new fridge.

He told how he was waiting for his wife when O’Hagan walked towards him in the car park “with his hands up in front of him like as if he was going to hit me”.

He was attacked as he turned to get into his car on Regent Walk, Redcar.

He said: “He started hitting me around the head. He was so fast. There was a hell of a lot of punches.

“A member of the public, fortunately for me, saw it from across the road and shouted at him to get off.”

“The police said it was a vicious, sustained attack. I am pleased that he has admitted what he did. I just don’t think these people realise the damage they are causing.”