Sacked man jailed over revenge attack

A man who attacked his female boss out of revenge after she sacked him has been jailed for seven years.

Justin Fagan, 30, laughed as he punched, kicked and stamped on Deborah Dudley at her home in Up Holland, Lancashire, Preston Crown Court was told.

He also tried to gouge her eyes out while the single mother's two young children were in bed upstairs.

Fagan, of Colnbrook, Standish, near Wigan, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to 41-year-old Mrs Dudley.

Firm went bust

Judge Edward Slinger described it as a "horrific crime" and said Mrs Dudley - who suffered two skull fractures - was fortunate not to have died.

The jury was told that, after the attack, the call centre business in Skelmersdale had gone into liquidation and this had been blamed on Mrs Dudley, who was a company director, being unable to return to work.

The court heard she still had hearing problems and poor memory.

Fagan had been employed as an office manager but was sacked four days before the attack.

His defence barrister, Tony Cross, said his client had been sexually abused when he was younger and the psychological damage he had suffered had prompted the attack.