Teen left fighting for life by one-punch thug

VICTIM SUFFERS HORRIFIC ASSAULT ON 18TH BIRTHDAY

- By ROB KENNEDY Court reporter

A BLAMELESS teenager out celebrating his 18th birthday was left fighting for his life in a senseless one-punch city centre attack.

What should have been a happy occasion for Mason Hedley, also known as Mason Williams, ended with him on a life support machine after he was knocked out by Ryan Dodd and cracked his head on the ground.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Mason had been out celebrating his birthday in Newcastle and ended up in Powerhouse nightclub.

Around 4.45am on September 13, Mason and his friends were leaving, around the same time as Dodd, with whom Mason had had no previous encounter.

Dodd and one of Mason's friends became involved in an argument and Dodd then approached Mason in a tunnel under a road.

A woman in Mason's group told him Mason hadn't done anything and as Mason was in the process of telling him the same, Dodd punched him in the face, knocking him out and causing him to hit his head forcefully on the ground.

Mason's friend said he went down "like a tonne of bricks" and was left bleeding from the nose and fitting.