Hale man jailed for attack with baseball bat

A man who attacked three people with a metal baseball bat has been jailed for 15 years.

Officers were called to reports of an assault at about 9.45pm on 29 November 2020 at Field Walk, Hale.

Gareth Eardley (30/10/1982), of Field Walk, Hale, attacked two men and a woman with the bat and also kicked a dog belonging to one of the victims.

One of the men suffered serious head and face injuries and the other had fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a broken arm. One victim is still in hospital and has life-changing injuries.

Eardley also smashed a window and threatened several other people.

Eardley pleaded guilty to two counts of grievous bodily harm and one of actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 20 years at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday 21 April 2021.

He will serve 15 years in prison with a further five years on licence, and won't be eligible for parole for at least 10 years.

Detective Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP's Trafford district, said: "This was an unprovoked and brutal attack that left the victims with serious injuries and extremely shocked.

"The victims are still suffering almost six months later and may never recover from the emotional effects.

"I would like to thank those victims and witnesses for having the courage to support today's prosecution of Eardley, who quite rightly is now behind bars, where hopefully he will reflect on what he has done."