Machete attack man tells of relief as jury clears him of wounding

A Peacehaven scaffolder has spoken of his relief after a jury cleared him of wounding a drunk intruder with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm (GBH).

Anthony Cosstick, 58, took a machete to the man who, the jury was told, appeared to be possessed as he persistently tried to force his way into the Southview Road property.

Tony Cosstick, of Collingwood Close, Peacehaven, faced the prospect of a life sentence if convicted – and a two-year stretch at the very least.

But the jury saw distressing security camera footage from the home shared by his son John Cosstick, John’s partner Samantha Hemblade and their two-year-old son.

And jurors heard Sam Hemblade, during a long and desperate 999 call made shortly after 1.30am on Sunday 9 October, as they endured an agonisingly long wait for the police to arrive.

The jury unanimously acquitted Mr Cosstick of unlawful wounding – a month after he was cleared of having an offensive weapon in public without good reason by a different jury at Chichester Crown Court.

Mr Cosstick said that he had been through emotional and mental distress including the two trials, adding: “I’m so relieved after all my family have had to go through. Thank you to the jury. Justice has gone my way.”

John Carmichael, prosecuting, had told the jury at Hove Crown Court that Cosstick was entitled to use force against the intruder Audrius Guokas in self-defence.

But Mr Carmichael said that what might have started out as a reasonable use of force ended up being “way too much”.

Mr Guokas, 38, a Lithuanian man from Brace Street, Walsall, near Birmingham, said that he had seven or eight whiskies before going for a walk and getting lost. He had never been to Peacehaven before.

He was heard on a recording at the time saying that he had had crack cocaine too. In the witness box, he said that he had only been drinking.

The jury heard that several other people called 999 in the 90 minutes or so before the police arrived, concerned by Mr Guakas’s disturbing behaviour.

He was covered in blood and threw himself on the bonnet of at least two cars and knocked at a number of people’s doors in the early hours before he reached Southview Road.

At the family home, Mr Guakas threw a wheely bin on to the bonnet of a car in the driveway, emptying its contents.

He hammered on the door, waking the couple and their infant son, and forcing his way in at least twice.

John Cosstick ejected him but Mr Guokas kept coming back and Mr Cosstick called his parents Tony Cosstick and Paula Chincharo.

Chincharo, 55, of Collingwood Close, Peacehaven, was cleared of assault at an earlier trial, at Chichester Crown Court, when Cosstick was cleared of having an offensive weapon in public without good reason.

He was retried for the assault after the first jury was unable to reach a verdict but cleared unanimously at his retrial at Hove.

Hannah Hurley, defending, told the court that Cosstick had acted with considerable restraint, striking only when Mr Guakas attacked his ex-wife.

She said that the footage was frightening and “the harrowing events that took place that evening are awful”.

And she said: “That 999 call was a commentary on the terror that family were living through.

“But the threat was huge … It was like a horror movie that wouldn’t end. Mr Guokas was zombie-like, with such strength and he wouldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stay down.

“When Mr Guokas no longer posed a threat, Mr Cosstick stopped. He paced and waited for the police.

“Mr Cosstick didn’t attack him until Mr Guokas attacked his ex-wife. He was making sure his family were safe. He did no more than he needed to do to protect them.”

Miss Hurley added: “Mr Guokas had been chanting, howling like a wolf and repeatedly banging the door – he was relentless.

“Mr Cosstick wouldn’t have known this man’s limitations. No level of force seemed to be enough to get this level of danger to cease.

“All that Mr Cosstick wanted, all that he intended, was for Mr Guokas to stop – and it’s all that he has wanted, having to relive the terror throughout this trial.

“Members of the jury, you have the power in your hands to make this nightmare stop in this sad and very terrible trial.

“Mr Cosstick was, through no fault of his own, employing lawful self-defence.”