Burgess Hill thug Mark Brazil sentenced for 'pre-meditated' attack

Mark Brazil, 24, punched the defenceless man in St Johns Park, Burgess Hill, which left him with a bleed to the brain, permanent brain damage and paralysis.

George Morris had been at the nearby Cricketers pub and was walking with friends when the “premeditated” attack happened on October 30, 2021.

Mr Morris was walking with a group of friends through the park. One of them was an ex-partner of a man in the park with Brazil.

Brazil has been given a three and a half year prison sentence

Brazil shouted “Is that George Morris?” to which Mr Morris responded “No” and continued walking, Hove Crown Court heard.

Friends who witnessed the attack turned around after hearing a noise and saw Mr Morris on his back “gasping for air” with a cut on his head and Brazil nearby.

Mr Morris smacked his head on the concrete and suffered a bleed to his brain which caused permanent brain damage and paralysis.

As he left the scene, Brazil told Mr Morris that it was “nothing personal”.

Mr Morris initially went to hospital with a concussion but was discharged. He was then taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton “as he appeared to have a stroke”.

His mum contacted the police after her son was admitted to the hospital.

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Mr Morris was in hospital for a month and has suffered personality changes, tremors in his hand and permanent paralysis, the court heard.

In a victim statement read out in court on behalf of Mr Morris, he said the injuries will affect him for the rest of his life.

Part of the statement read: "I will never have a job again and now struggle with conversations. I used to be social but now I am too scared to leave the house.

"I do not want to meet new people. After the assault, I lost work friends and I am not in my friendship group anymore.

“I cannot even squeeze the toothpaste when brushing my teeth on my own."

St Johns Park in Burgess Hill (Image: Google Maps)

Alex Rooke, defending, said Brazil grew up with memories of his “family using violence” and was bullied at school for coming from a traveller background.

He tried to argue that there was not a level of planning. He said the injuries that Mr Morris suffered were not something Brazil was “proud of”.

Recorder Neil Mercer dismissed this and said the attack was planned.

He said: “You were looking for him, it was premeditated. You know perfectly well what you were doing I do not accept that you have shown any remorse.”

Brazil, currently of HMP Rochester in Kent, is already serving a seven-year sentence for attacking a 16-year-old in a park, forcing him to strip and stealing a family heirloom ring from him.

He threatened to cut his finger and nose off, the court heard.

Eight months were added because of Brazil’s previous convictions, one of which was from when he was a youth.

He pleaded guilty at a pre-trial preparation hearing on November 10 this year. 

Brazil was sentenced to three and a half years in prison running consecutively after his current sentence. Half of this will be served and Brazil will be released on licence after that.

Wearing a black Adidas jumper in the dock, Brazil shouted “see you later mother, see you in a few years” after Recorder Mercer passed sentence.