A WIRRAL man who squirted a caustic liquid into a cab driver's eyes during a long running feud, leaving him in agony, has been jailed for two and a half years. 

And Denis Rich has landed his teenage son with a criminal record after getting him to lie to police about the incident.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today that there had been previous alleged incidents between Rich and victim Paul Bruce, whose former partner was in a relationship with Rich.

On the evening of January 6 last year there was a verbal altercation between the two men and jailing 46-year-old Rich a judge said: "This confrontation caused your hostility to rise even further.

"You went and equipped yourself with a syringe which you filled with some caustic liquid or liquid irritant, the precise nature of which is unknown. Having done that you then sought out a confrontation with him."

Judge Denis Watson, QC, said that CCTV footage showed Rich driving his Vauxhall Vectra along King Street in Seacombe and then doubling back and slowly "prowling" along towards Mr Bruce as he got out of his cab to go into a shop.

"You came past him at close quarters with the window down.

"After a verbal exchange which must have been extremely brief you pointed the syringe and discharged it into his face.

"I have described it as caustic, it was certainly such to cause intense and immediate pain to his eyes.

"This was to use his own words 'a very good shot'.

"This liquid was delivered right into his face from the driver's seat, across the passenger seat, through the window and into his face."

Mr Bruce, who had been standing a few feet away, was helped by by-standers and the shop keeper to wash his eyes out and he was taken to Arrowe Park Hospital where it was found he had suffered "a bi-lateral chemical eye injury" causing ulcers on the corneas of both eyes.

He could not see clearly for some time and was unable to work as a taxi driver for five weeks.

In an impact statement, 51-year-old Mr Bruce told of his on-going depression and anxiety about seeing Rich in the area.

He now has to wear reading glasses and has difficulty driving at night because of the glare of street lamps.

The judge said: "This was clearly an assault that was planned, premeditated and the use of this caustic liquid was plainly a weapon that you had primed for this purpose …… there his huge concern about attacks such as this."

He said that references, which included one from Community Spirit Wirral, showed that he could be helpful to others "but your conduct is the culmination of a long running and deep seated feud and a particularly serious event."

He jailed him for two-and-a-half years and imposed a ten-year restraining order to keep away from Mr Bruce.

The court heard that after the attack Rich, who has previous convictions for violence, asked his son Callum, then 17, to dial 999 and in that call the teenager claimed he had been with his dad in the car when another car drew alongside and an enemy of his dad's started trying to attack his dad.

However the CCTV footage showed that Denis Rich had been alone.

Both defendants were arrested and when Denis Rich's home was searched syringes were found. Callum was later charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The youth, now 19, of Vivian Avenue, Seacombe, pleaded guilty to that offence and was today sentenced to four months' imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out up to 20 days rehabilitation activities.

His father, formerly of Vivian Avenue, but now of Silverbeech Road, Seacombe, denied the allegations against him but earlier this month a jury took just six minutes to find him guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Judge Watson jailed him for two and a half years.

His barrister, Rebecca Smith, told the judge that since his conviction it has been discovered he has mental health issues most of which date back to 2002 when he was jailed for nine months for causing the death by careless driving of his wife, the mother of his four oldest children.

Miss Smith said that the issue resulting from that tragedy had never been addressed and Rich would benefit from a psychological assessment.

During the hearing he repeatedly fought back tears as did his son and the two men hugged before the father was taken to the cells.

Gerald Pachter, defending, said that Callum has no previous convictions and had been a vulnerable 17-year-old at the time of the offence.