A man who filmed himself urinating on an elderly cancer patient has been jailed.
According to Wales Online, Leigh Brookfield, a DJ from Wales in the United Kingdom, has been handed a 14-week sentence and has been ordered to pay compensation after he posted a video to Snapchat that showed him reliving himself on Peter Barton.
Llanelli Magistrates' Court heard that on Boxing Day last year, the pair were standing next to each other at a urinal at Llanelli Tennis and Squash Club when they began conversing.
Barton revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and while Brookfield initially seemed sympathetic, he decided to start urinating on the back of the man's trousers before posting a video of the cruel act to Snapchat.
The victim only realized that he had been assaulted after the footage circulated on social media and his "distraught" son contacted him.
"When I saw this video I actually cried," Barton said in a statement. "I couldn't believe someone could do that to another person. I was breathless and my blood pressure was through the roof."
As the video continued circulating on social media, he alleged that people started recognizing him from the clip and whispering whenever he was around.
"I am extremely gutted about this," he said. "I just feel that [Brookfield's] actions were absolutely disgusting."
Brookfield, who has previously been convicted of drunk driving three times, stated that he was "embarrassed" and "ashamed" of his actions, as per a statement by his solicitor Robert Thomas.
"He is embarrassed and ashamed of what he has done. I think that comes across in the pre-sentence report. He is appalled at himself and makes an apology through the court today. He has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity," Thomas said before divulging some background information on his client.
"He is 40 years old and lives with his partner. He has got a child on the way, who is due to be born at the end of February, and also a 14-year-old daughter who is autistic," he continued. "He is the main carer for her. His only previous convictions relate to motoring matters and it does seem to be out of context for a gentleman like this."
He went on to state that he's lost his DJ-ing opportunities and they're "not likely to be offered again."
"...He does accept he has for some time had a drink problem and been a user of recreational drugs," he added before concluding: "He says this has been a wake-up call for him. He has totally abstained from drink and drugs since the incident. The risk of custody quite frankly terrifies him and it would have an effect on innocent victims... such as his 14-year-old daughter who is autistic and relies heavily on him."
Thomas also asked that he is spared any physical jail time, however, District Judge Mark Layton stated a 14-week jail term was the correct sentence given the seriousness of the crime.
"[Mr Barton] engaged you in polite conversation and told you he was suffering from prostate cancer," he recalled to Brookfield. "Most would have responded with kind words of sympathy. Your response was to urinate on the back of his clothing... It was an assault on a vulnerable victim. You were clearly mocking him while in drink."
Brookfield must pay compensation of £500 ($636) to the victim, £85 ($108) in prosecution costs, and a £154 ($195) victim services surcharge.
