Two teenagers have been sentenced for violent offences on the Isle of Wight.

Max O’Neill, aged 18, had been charged previously with two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of cannabis, robbery, and engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour.

The circumstances are that on 21 July 2024, O’Neill was walking his dogs on Binstead Beach when he encountered a man and a woman, both in their 40s.

In a completely unprovoked attack, O’Neill assaulted the man from behind, repeatedly punching him in the head and knocking him unconscious. The man also sustained a leg fracture in the assault.

O’Neill ran off when other members of the public came over to intervene.

In a separate incident on 12 March 2025, O’Neill was walking his dog in Salters Park in Ryde when he got into a verbal dispute with another dog walker – a man in his 70s.

O’Neill knocked the man unconscious and continued to assault him on the ground, leaving him with a fractured jaw and two bleeds on the brain.

In a third incident on 8 September 2025, O’Neill committed a robbery with 19-year-old Noah Critchley in Orchard Street, Newport.

The pair threatened to stab a man in his 20s and also threatened him with O’Neill’s dog, before stealing his skateboard, rucksack and laptop. They then made demands for money in exchange for the return of the skateboard.

O’Neill and Critchley were both charged with robbery.

During a police investigation into O’Neill, officers reviewed his phone where they found a video of him encouraging his dogs to attack a badger. The footage showed the dogs seriously injuring the badger whilst O’Neill himself stamped on the animal. He was subsequently charged with wilfully attempting to kill a badger, and he admitted this offence at a previous hearing on 9 September.

As part of another separate investigation, O’Neill was also charged with coercive and controlling behaviour against a teenage girl between November 2024 and April 2025.

Regarding the GBH charges, O’Neill pleaded guilty to the separate offences of causing grievous bodily harm without intent. He admitted the other charges.

Critchley pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to the robbery charge.

They both appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 9 October for sentencing.

O’Neill, of Southfield Gardens in Ryde, was sentenced to a total of 16 months in a Young Offenders Institute (YOI), and was handed a five year restraining order relating to the victim of the coercive and controlling behaviour.

Critchley, of Downsview in Sandown, was sentenced to a total of 14 months in a YOI.

Due to their time served on remand, both were released back into the community on licence.

O’Neill also appeared at Isle of Wight Youth Court today (Wednesday 21 October) to be sentenced in relation to the badger offence. He was banned from keeping dogs for 3 years, handed a 4 month sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay £100 costs, and a £154 victim surcharge.

Detective Inspector Chris Barrow said: “This has been a full team effort between local policing and CID to investigate and prosecute a number of offences perpetrated by Max O’Neill, including a robbery he committed alongside Noah Critchley.

“Among these crimes were unprovoked assaults on members of the public, including an elderly dog walker, leaving the victims with injuries such as fractured bones and bleeds on the brain.

“These were serious and violent offences which caused significant harm to innocent members of the public. We will not tolerate this type of violence within our communities, and I hope this outcome provides reassurance that such offending will be thoroughly investigated and offenders brought before the courts.”