Man Jailed for Sledgehammer Assault and Tax Fraud

An individual has received a jail sentence after assaulting a rival with a sledgehammer and a broken bottle during a dispute. According to proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, Dylan McNulty forcibly transported the victim to a flat in October 2023, where the victim was subsequently assaulted by multiple individuals. The 27-year-old, who resides in Peterlee, County Durham, pleaded guilty to charges of wounding with intent and participation in a tax fraud scheme. This scheme involved an attempt to defraud HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of approximately £20,000. Furthermore, he received sentencing for making sexual advances toward a teenage girl and later assaulting her parents following their confrontation with him. Judge Julie Clemitson imposed a sentence of four years and three months in jail. Judge Clemitson stated that McNulty, a father of one, was acting under the directives of another individual when he and an accomplice visited the victim’s residence on 17 October and instructed him to enter his vehicle. The judge further noted that McNulty then drove the man “against his will” to a different house, where he was subjected to an assault by multiple individuals. During the assault, McNulty, whose address is Hatfield Place, struck the man twice on the head with a broken bottle and hit him in the side with a sledgehammer. Judge Clemitson commented that the victim genuinely thought he would be killed, and it was “fortunate” that his injuries were limited to fractured bones in his hands. The court was informed that three days subsequent to this incident, police discovered McNulty unconscious in his car, with a machete located in the passenger footwell. In July 2023, as presented in court, McNulty, while intoxicated, confronted a 14-year-old girl who was walking home alone from a park. He grasped his groin and performed motions indicative of a sex act, which prompted the girl to flee in terror. Her parents subsequently confronted McNulty, who then produced a knife and proceeded to damage their car by slashing a tyre and smashing a wing mirror. Judge Clemitson remarked that the entire family had been “terrified” and the girl was “significantly affected.” The judge stated that she required counselling for sleep difficulties, had to change schools, and continued to be afraid of venturing out alone, while her parents held the belief that one of them would be killed during the ordeal. Additionally, McNulty received a sentence for a tax fraud operation that commenced in 2017, involving him and others submitting fraudulent self-assessment claims with the aim of obtaining a rebate. The court was informed that he sought approximately £20,000 in rebates and received £14,500, with a substantial portion of these funds being transferred to other criminals to assist in settling debts McNulty had accumulated. In mitigation, the judge noted that McNulty, despite having numerous convictions for violent offenses, had experienced a traumatic childhood. He was also mandated to sign the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.