A FELINFOEL dad who suffered a broken neck in a brutal assault has spoken of his physical and mental pain after his attacker was jailed.
Darren Langabeer, 41, said his life had been turned upside down by the attack, which took place in broad daylight last summer.
Swansea Crown Court heard that on August 2, Mr Langabeer had taken some clothes to be sold to a trader outside a Llanelli supermarket, when "visibly drunk" Daniel Rees, of New Dock Road, approached him.
He began to push Mr Langabeer, before spitting at him and shouting abuse.
Mr Langabeer tried to push him away, but Rees became more threatening and aggressive, prosecutor John Lloyd told the court.
Mr Langabeer stood in front of his wife to protect her, but Rees threw a punch, knocking him to the ground.
They grappled on the floor, but Mr Langabeer's injury was already obvious as he tried to run away in pain.
Rees then chased Mr Langabeer around the van and along the road.
The self-employed landscape gardener was left needing specialist hospital treatment after he sustained two broken vertebrae in his neck, and speaking to the Star following the court case he said the attack left mental scars as well as physical pain.
"The first five months were a complete nightmare," he said.
"I have certainly lost some of my confidence.
"There are certain things I can't do anymore because of my neck, but I am going to be looking for work again soon.
"I have got to move on from this for the sake of my family."
Sentencing, Judge Huw Davies jailed Rees for 21 months for the offence of grievous bodily harm, which he admitted.
However Mr Langabeer believes the punishment could have been more severe to reflect the suffering he was put through.
He said: "I think he could have got a longer sentence — at least three years.
"I am going to carry this scar around for a long time.
"I could have been paralysed and that would have been a totally different situation."
He added: "Maybe it will teach him a lesson, but I doubt it."
Rees admitted to police that the day before he assaulted Mr Langabeer he had drunk two bottles of vodka, and before the attack at 12.50pm, he had already drunk another half a bottle.
Dyfed Thomas, defending, said his client had a heavy drink problem.
"There's a long-standing difficulty with alcohol and a heavy use of alcohol," he said.
"He has very little or no meaningful recollection of the event."
He said his partner was due to give birth next month.
"He hopes that the new arrival in May will give him some sort of focus and motivation," said Mr Thomas.
