Teenage coward carried out horrific attack - jabbing young man in the eye with a CROSSBOW - before getting desperate

A young man was put into a coma after a teenager jabbed him in the eye with a crossbow. James Moreton's victim was threatened and offered money in a desperate attempt to get him to ask prosecutors to drop the charges.

But the 18-year-old has now been jailed after a violent attack which left his victim in intensive care. Preston Crown Court heard Moreton confronted his victim on a footbridge in Skelmersdale, near Wigan.

After punching and kicking him in the face, Moreton then jabbed the crossbow into his left eye. The victim, aged 18, didn’t think he had been seriously injured at first.

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But he ended up in intensive care and had to be put in an induced coma for six days after contracting meningitis and suffering fractures to his skull and orbital bone. Moreton, formerly of Fairstead, Skelmersdale, was 17 at the time of the attack in January this year.

After being arrested and charged, he was remanded in custody. While on remand, Moreton tried to get his victim to push the CPS drop the charges.

The victim was contacted by an associate of Moreton, who made threats and offered money. Moreton pleaded guilty to section 18 wounding with intent, possession of an offensive weapon and attempting to pervert the course of justice and threats to commit damage against an ex-partner for an unrelated offence again whilst also on remand.

At Preston Crown Court on Wednesday (October 11), Moreton was given a custodial sentence of seven years and nine months. Judge Richard Archer deemed him a dangerous offender, which attracted an extended