A 39-year-old man has been jailed after beating his 78-year-old neighbour, leaving him in a pool of blood.
Ashley Morris from Bridgend in south Wales attacked his elderly neighbour in a car park outside the block of flats they lived in.
Morris left the victim in a pool of blood after punching him to the floor.
The neighbour was returning from his local shop and parked his car when the violent Morris approached him.
He told him to "smile now", before launching a vicious attack.
Morris pinned the victim to the floor, laying down a series of punches on the 78-year-old's head and face.
He then kicked him repeatedly while he was lying on the floor.
Covered in blood, the victim managed to get on his feet after Morris stopped his attack and left the area.
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Morris has been jailed for 42 months
|SOUTH WALES POLICE
He struggled to a family member's house nearby and contacted the police.
Morris was arrested in his nearby flat shortly after and taken into custody, charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
He pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed at Cardiff Crown Court for 42 months.
Detective Constable Georgina Prince said: "Ashley Morris subjected his elderly neighbour to a brutal and sustained attack which was totally unprovoked.
"He left his victim for dead on the floor before returning to his flat, as though nothing had happened.
"He is a dangerous individual and belongs in prison, where he can no longer be a threat to others.
"I would like to commend the victim in this case, who showed immense bravery throughout his ordeal.
"I hope he can take some comfort from knowing that his attacker will spend a considerable time in prison."
Morris was handed his sentence at Cardiff Crown Court
| WIKIMEDIA COMMONSAn estimated 1.1million incidents of violence with or without injury on people aged 16 years or over occurred last year in England and Wales.
This was 36 per cent lower than a decade ago, when 1.7million crimes were reported.
Over 500,000 of these incidents led to victims being injured.
Notably, the number of knife-related crimes has significantly increased in the last decade, with over 53,000 offences occurring from April 2024 to March 2025.