Vicious Oliver Ward, who attacked two men with a metal pole after a row over a girl, is to stay in jail.

The 30-year-old, of Toot Baldon, lost an appeal against a four-year sentence imposed at Oxford Crown Court in July last year.

Appeal Court judge Mr Justice Butterfield said the victims of the attack had made good recoveries from their injuries.

But the judge, sitting in London with Judge Francis Allen, said that the pair had been deeply affected and public interest demanded that deterrent sentences should follow incidents of violent street crime. Ward was refused leave to appeal against two convictions of wounding with intent. The judges also rejected his argument that the convictions were unsafe.

The case followed an incident in Woodstock Road, Oxford, in June 1997 when Ward hit Andrew Rolls and David McSweeney over the head with a three-foot metal pipe.

The attack followed a disagreement between Ward and Mr Rolls at a disco at the Horse and Jockey pub.

Mr Rolls, from South Wales, was talking to a Brazilian girl and when Ward tried to chat her up, he told Ward to leave her alone. The two started fighting. Later, Mr Rolls and Mr McSweeney were queuing at a kebab van when a car stopped and Ward jumped out and attacked them. Mr McSweeney was knocked unconscious and Mr Rolls was left nursing cuts to his nose and forehead.

Tyrone Belger, defending Ward at Oxford Crown Court, said Ward had simply fallen in with the wrong crowd.

But Mr Justice Butterfield said it could not possibly be argued that the convictions were wrong or that the sentence was excessive.

Story date: Monday 26 April

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