A man broke into a 77-year-old’s motorhome and, when the pensioner tried to call the police, he was attacked and his campervan and phone were damaged.
Joseph Charlott, 22, was so brutal that he left the pensioner, Alan Clarke, of Malvern Way, Hastings, with a broken shoulder blade, broken ribs and a fractured chest bone.
Charlott knocked the man to the ground and kicked him again and again as he was lying helpless.
The violent attack happened in May last year just a day after Charlott, of Deepdene Gardens, Hastings, had been found with a knuckleduster and spat at a police officer.
Police identified Charlott as the attacker but he went on the run until he was found almost three months later when he jumped out of a second-floor window as he tried to flee.
He went on trial at Hove Crown Court earlier this month and, after three days of evidence and submissions, a jury convicted Charlott.
He was found guilty of causing Mr Clarke grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and causing criminal damage to his camper van and mobile phone.
He was also convicted of assaulting a police officer, causing actual bodily harm (ABH), and having a knuckleduster in public in Hastings.
The jury found him not guilty of one count of assaulting an emergency worker.
Judge Jeremy Gold remanded him in custody to await sentence next month – on Monday 18 November.
Detective Sergeant Jake O’Reilly said: “In May 2023, Sussex Police were alerted to a violent assault in Malvern Way, Hastings, which left a 77-year-old man in hospital with serious injuries, including a fractured shoulder blade, fractured ribs and a fractured chest bone.
“The named suspect, Jospeh Charlott, was known to Sussex Police after he had spat at an officer and had been found with a knuckleduster only 24 hours earlier.
“Following this more serious incident, a police investigation was carried out and evidence was recovered from a variety of sources that confirmed Charlott had forced entry to the victim’s motorhome on Friday 12 May 2023.
“When he was then confronted by its owner, who phoned the police, Charlott responded with a flurry of violence that culminated in him knocking the victim to the ground and repeatedly kicking him while he was lying defenceless on the ground.
“Charlott then went on the run from May until August and, when he was finally located by officers, he jumped out of a second-storey window in an attempt to escape but was eventually detained.
“This level of violence against a vulnerable member of the public protecting his property is indefensible and I’m glad to see that, on hearing the evidence, the jury has convicted the defendant.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many teams across Sussex Police who worked tirelessly to investigate, locate, arrest and charge Charlott.
“And I hope his sentencing in November will offer some closure for the victims and that it will reflect the destruction he has caused.”
