Sentencing for ABH charge if found guilty during trial

[katem454]

My ex partner is attending the crown court next Thursday to stand trial for ABH. He is accused of kicking the victim to the head and jaw whilst his Dad is accused of holding the victim down. He has 1 previous charge of theft 5 years ago apparently but I'm only going by what he says and that isn't always the truth! Any ideas of what kind of sentence he'll get if found guilty? Apparently the judge at the pre trial hearing asked them to go guilty but they refused as they're proclaiming their innocence. And the answer to the question is yes I believe they did it but just depends on the jury! Any legal advice would be great.

For sentencing purposes it sounds like it is a category 1 offence. That means the sentence is 1-3 years custody. The starting point is 18 months custody and the judge then adjusts the sentence up or down depending on aggravating and mitigating factors. If the sentence is below 2 years it might be suspended but there are no guarantees. The sentence will be reduced by at least 10% if he decides to change his plea to guilty.

There's no way he'll plea guilty. His dad is accused of holding the victim down while my ex partner kicked the victim to the head and jaw. There was also another man that was attacking the victim too, one of their friends but he didn't get identified but the police know that my ex and his dad are covering for him. My ex isn't very honest and changes his story a lot but he did say at the magistrates court if he would of pleaded quilty he would of got 6 months so I'm gathering there is a lot of evidence and witnesses. His solicitor has told him 2 years if found guilty. I know it may sound awful seen as I have a 3 year old daughter with him but I feel prison may be the best place for him as he has a very nasty temper and drinks very heavily at the weekend and takes cocaine. These factors have also been observed by a witness so not sure if that effects the sentence.