Teenager fractured 16-year-old's jaw with one punch after taking his vape

A teenager punched a 16-year-old boy in the face in an unprovoked attack and left him with a broken jaw after taking his vape. He told the victim he would take him to an alleyway and could "bang him". Reegan George, 18, first accosted the victim in Newport after approaching him and asking for a puff on his vape. He then walked off with the vape, and the victim did not ask for it back out of fear but the defendant threw it back at him. A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the victim spoke to a friend about the incident, who messaged George about what had happened. Stay in the know by making sure you’re receiving our daily newsletter On June 15 last year the defendant and another walked towards the victim and confronted him about speaking to his friend while recording him. He asked the victim his age, and when he told him he was 16-years-old the defendant responded: "I can bang you, either follow me and I can hit you once or I can hit you now." The victim followed them to an alleyway and George punched him once to the side of the face with a closed fist. He felt pain to his jaw, which felt out of position, and began spitting out blood. The victim asked his mother to take him to hospital, saying he had fallen due to fear of what the defendant might do if he told the truth. At the hospital he was found to have a swollen jaw which was tender to the touch and nausea. He was also bleeding from two teeth. An X-ray showed a displaced fracture to his jaw, which required surgery to fit a metal plate with screws. In a victim personal statement read to the court, the victim said: "I cannot explain how this unprovoked attack has affected me... I suffer with anxiety and PTSD. "I relive the incident when I'm trying to sleep and constantly fear this type of thing happening again. I was in enormous pain and my sleep has been affected. I cannot understand why it happened and I blame myself." The victim said he attended his school prom with a swollen face and stitches and missed two GCSE exams which he had to resit. George, of Leslie Green Court, Duffryn, later pleaded guilty to wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent. The court heard he has no previous convictions. In mitigation, the court was told there had been a year's delay in the case and that the defendant has obtained employment having left school at the age of 14. Judge Daniel Williams sentenced George to a 12-month community order. The defendant was ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation activity order. He was also made the subject to a restraining order for two years. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .