A hotel porter also said that he was in fact in the hotel, plus the muppet Graham Sankey that wrote the confession, then said he was on about another brawl - so he coincidently belted someone's head with a brick in a different fight that night?!...
Either way, it was a drunken brawl, [Poor language removed] happens.
About 7 years ago I had my head smashed off the kerb a couple of times by some squaddies in a fight I didn't start (didn't try and avoid though either) - night in the hospital, plenty of stiches and couldn't hear from one ear for months - but I wouldn't expect them do spend 15 years in jail for it...
I don't believe anyone was actually intending to have it kill me and I don't think this was the case with the brick/slab/rock here either...
A lot of fights happen every Friday and Saturday night, people get belted with bottles, pool cues or whatever might be laying about - like the side of the road!... Assault or GBH, sure. But attempted murder it's not.