A 'mindless thug' has been allowed to walk free from court despite breaking a man's nose in Oxford city centre.

Michael McDonagh, of Cumnor Road, Filchampstead, appeared at Oxford Crown Court after an incident in the early hours of October 30 2023.

McDonagh, 22, previously pleaded guilty to one count of affray and one count of assault, causing actual boldly harm to Thomas Harkin.

During sentencing on July 11, Oxford Crown Court was told that Mr Harkin had been on a night out with friends in Park End Street.

McDonagh approached the group unprovoked and said 'I will shank you' and 'come at me'.

He then proceeded to slap one member of the group before punching Mr Harkin.

Prosecuting barrister Kellie Enever showed the court footage captured on a mobile phone and CCTV of the events that night.

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In one, McDonagh can be seen forcing Mr Harkin to the ground before kicking him. In another video an argument can be seen taking place outside Oxford Coroner's Court.

CCTV shows McDonagh charging around and scrapping with people.

Ms Enever said: "As a consequence Mr Harkin suffered cuts and bruises, as well as a broken nose.

"When he was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, he had swelling on the back of his head and he recalled having blurred vision."

A victim personal statement provided by Mr Harkin was read out by Ms Enever.

It said: "The incident has had a physical impact on me. I find my nose gets very blocked.

"I was shocked and I have felt upset. I received counselling from my university.

"Despite this, I'm very on edge when out and about. This incident has had a significant impact on my confidence."

Judge Maria Lamb described the offence as 'mindless thuggery'.

In mitigation, the court was told that McDonagh suffers from mental health difficulties and had been diagnosed with ADHD.

Also that he had 'indicated his remorse' and had completed a six-month course in anger management.

Judge Lamb said: "This was absolutely despicable. You were running around and threatening people.

"This was absolutely appalling behaviour. There is no doubt the lead offence is the assault. An aggravating factor is that you were heavily in drink.

"An expression of remorse doesn't cut much ice I'm afraid."

For the assault charge, McDonagh was handed an 18-month prison sentence and a 12-month sentence for the affray to run concurrently. The sentences were suspended for 24 months.

McDonagh was also ordered to pay £2,000 in compensation at a rate of £20 per week and complete 26 days of a rehabilitation programme.

Families have just two more weeks left to take advantage of a series of free pop up play events in the city.

The events, designed for children up to the age of five, have run throughout the summer across central Oxford locations, attracting more than a thousand visitors.

They have been led by Oxfordshire County Council with support from Oxfordshire Play Association and Oxford City Council and proved so popular that an extra date was added at the car park outside County Hall yesterday.

The final two events will take place on Wednesday 16 July in Leiden Square in the Westgate Centre and Tuesday 22 July in the Castle Quarter, from 11am - 3pm.

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “These well attended events have not only brought smiles and laughter to the city centre but have also sparked conversations about how we design our streets and public spaces.

“They have been a real success so far and offer a fresh, community-focused way of reimagining how we use urban space – particularly in the heart of the city. They are helping to redefine how city centre spaces can be used – making them more accessible, playful, and community-oriented.

“Feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive, with many calling for more permanent opportunities for play.”

The pop up play events, which have also taken place in Broad Street, have been designed to create a welcoming, supportive environment for families, with opportunities to connect with other parents and access useful resources.

Activities include sensory play, creative workshops, and story sessions from partners like the Ashmolean Museum, Story Museum, History of Science Museum, Museum of Oxford and Weston Library.

Councillor Mark Lygo, Chair of Oxfordshire County Council and a former trustee of Oxfordshire Play Association, has attended all of the nine events so far.

He said: “I’ve really enjoyed seeing families come together, relax, and play in places where you wouldn’t normally see it. People can just turn up and enjoy, there’s no need to book.

“It’s been a real success and our ambition is to keep it going in the future and even look at more locations.”

Lord Mayor of Oxford Councillor Louise Upton said: “It is so important for the healthy development of children to find time to play. Providing space in the city centre where parents and small children can relax and have some fun, allowing those warm, positive interactions to occur with care givers and other children is magical.

“It helps promote children's physical, emotional and social development, and makes life a little less stressful for their adults.”

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A divisive proposal to introduce a congestion charge in Oxford has been slammed as "imposing tolls" amid fears it would put "thousands of livelihoods at risk".

Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for transport policy, is considering introducing a temporary £5 daily congestion charge for motorists who drive through several roads in the city without a permit.

The roads affected include Hythe Bridge Street, St Cross Road, Thames Street and St. Clement’s Street every day from 7am to 7pm, as well as Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way Monday to Saturday from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm.

The county council said this will reduce congestion and help buses run quicker before the traffic filter trial is introduced when Botley Road reopens.

While the scheme has been backed by bus companies and travel groups, it has also had fierce opposition from Labour figures, including Anneliese Dodds MP for Oxford East and leader of Oxford City Council Susan Brown.

The Labour group on the city council has put forward a short motion which says the council wishes to “express its opposition to the congestion charge scheme”, ahead of the full council meeting next Monday (July 14).

Councillor James Taylor, who was elected to the city council in May as its youngest councillor, put forward the motion.

This was seconded by councillor Asima Qayyum.

He said: “The Labour Group, our Labour MP Anneliese Dodds, and the wider Labour Party in Oxford have already registered our opposition to both the way this congestion charge is being imposed on the city of Oxford, its residents and businesses by the County Council, and the charge itself.

“We believe that the congestion charge proposal, which is akin to imposing tolls on five of Oxford’s main roads, allows people who can afford to do so the ability to buy access to our streets, while those who are struggling financially are not able to do so.

“It’s a clearly inequitable scheme.

“Our city needs to clearly reject a policy that is being imposed on it by councillors who represent communities far from it.”

He added: “If the county wants to know our position on managing congestion, they should consult with our leadership before they announce major traffic proposals.

“We want a range of measures, including tackling private school traffic (which the congestion charge scheme would fail to do), ensuring improved bus services went in with the LTNs (not ages after the fact), and building and securing the Cowley Branch Line to secure a quick public route into the city for people in Littlemore and the Leys.”

The congestion charge also featured heavily in Tuesday’s full county council meeting,

A total of 17 written questions were sent to transport chief Andrew Gant about the congestion charge in advance of the full council meeting on Tuesday, July 8.

Bernadette Evans, spokesperson for Oxford Business Action Group, said the county council were "experimenting" with small businesses and "risking thousands of livelihoods".

The Labour group on the county council withdrew its support for traffic filters in January, which would be in the same location as the congestion charge points, arguing the trial had “timed out” due to the ongoing closure of Botley Road.

Oxford City Council is backing proposals for a ‘Greater Oxford’ unitary council under local Government reorganisation plans, which it says would allow people living in the city and surroundings areas to have greater control over local transport.

When asked whether a Labour-ran Greater Oxford Council would revoke the congestion charge and traffic filter plans, Mr Taylor said: “I can’t speak on behalf of a future Labour Group, but it is clear our city Labour administration opposes the introduction of the congestion charge scheme”.

He also ruled out “wasting taxpayers’ money” on legal action against the scheme which would “go nowhere”.

Not all Labour city councillors disagree with the congestion charge however.

Councillor Jemima Hunt, who represents St Clement's, said: “As the Labour City Councillor behind the successful implementation of St Clement's LTN in 2022, I welcome the council’s plans to tackle Oxford’s decades long congestion problem with a congestion charge.

“The May local elections delivered a council with a clear mandate to tackle the problem of congestion in our city.

"The recent Labour backed Citizens Assembly urged us to 'implement a congestion charge' and 'make the city centre car-free'.

“Cities across the world are moving away from car use. Oxford needs to do the same.”

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The Labour group said this does not represent the party’s view on the matter.

Chris Smowton, leader of the city council Lib Dem group, said: “Bus providers have made it clear they need prompt action to reduce congestion, but we're not hearing any viable plan from Labour.

"County Labour voted for a traffic filter scheme back in 2022. Back then it seemed like they backed our buses.

"Now it's clear they're running scared of independent councillors running on a pro-car ticket. But will imitating the indies even work?

"They've sat on the fence so long. I expect voters will see through their IOA tribute act.”

Andrew Gant, Lib Dem city councillor for Cutteslowe and Sunnymead and cabinet member for transport management at the county council, said: “I am genuinely baffled and disappointed by Labour’s muddled position on this.

"The congestion scheme was developed as a direct result of the call for immediate action from Labour city council leader, Susan Brown, along with others, in early February.

"The citizens assembly, set up by Labour, specifically asked for a congestion charge. Labour urged us to implement all of its recommendations in full.

"Labour councillors created and voted for the traffic filters scheme, much of which is carried forward into the proposed temporary charging scheme.

"The county Labour group asked for cheaper bus fares for young people. The congestion scheme actually delivers that."

Independent councillor Saj Malik said: "This is a blatant attempt by Labour to get voters back on side but the damage has been done and people see through them.

"The truth is Labour councillors have always voted in favour of LTNs, traffic filters and the zero emissions zone expansion.

"To say they now oppose the congestion charge, which is basically the traffic filters by another name, is just trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

"They had three years on the county council cabinet to put a stop to all this but they chose not to."

A petition against the scheme has also gained more than 11,000 signatures.

The six-week consultation on the scheme is currently underway and will close on August 3.

The county council cabinet are set to decide whether to approve the scheme at their meeting in September.

The government’s proposals which suggest councils should raise council tax by the 5 per cent every year will create "a significant burden for taxpayers", the county council’s finance chief has said.

Documents in the government’s spending review from last month show that they expect councils to increase council tax by the maximum amount every year until the end of the parliamentary term in 2029.

The government also unveiled plans at the end of last month to direct more government funding to councils in more deprived areas, as part of changes to funding rules.

The cabinet member for finance Dan Levy said this could mean “less money” for Oxfordshire.

In a written question ahead of yesterday’s full council meeting (Tuesday, July 8), fellow Lib Dem councillor Nathan Ley asked cabinet member for finance Dan Levy what the implications of the government’s plans were for residents living in Oxfordshire.

In his written response Mr Levy said: “It is very concerning to see the expectation that the bulk of increases in funding, to pay for local services, will be funded through council tax rather than through government funding.

“The expectation that council tax will increase by 5 per cent every year for the next three years is a significant burden on taxpayers and removes autonomy from councils.

“This approach places an undue strain on residents who are already facing financial challenges.

“Council Tax is by no means the fairest tax and has little relationship to ability to pay.

“We will continue to provide services to residents who need them, while continually looking for efficiencies in how the council operates but expect significant pressure on our budgets.”

He added that he appreciated the government’s efforts to provide additional funding to local government, but that other decisions made by the government, including increasing employers’ national insurance, have increased the costs for councils.

Oxfordshire County Council increased council tax by 4.99 per cent in its February budget.

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In the full council meeting yesterday, Mr Levy said it was “fairly likely” that there would be a rebalance in government funding towards metropolitan councils rather than rural ones, while the details had not yet been confirmed.

He added: “Inevitably that means Oxfordshire will have less money.

“We will manage the situation effectively, but it’s not a good place to be in.”

Councils have the power to increase council tax by a maximum of 5 per cent each year.

Councils can only increase council tax by more than this if they hold a referendum or get approval from central government.

Oxford's ice hockey team will not return for the next season as the club considers its 'long-term sustainability'.

Oxford City Stars, founded in 1984, announced on July 5 that instead of returning in September, it will be treating the upcoming season as a 'transition year'.

It said the 'decision has not been made lightly' but adds that it believes restructuring is in the 'best long-term interests of ice hockey in Oxford'.

A statement issued by the club said: "Over the past several weeks, the directors of Oxford City Stars have been working closely with Oxford Junior Stars Ice Hockey Club to consider the long-term sustainability and growth of the sport within our local community.

"Following positive and productive discussions, it has been agreed that Oxford City Stars will transition into the Oxford Junior Stars umbrella, creating a clear and connected pathway for aspiring players to develop from junior through to senior hockey, with competitive progression opportunities at NIHL Division 2 and ultimately NIHL Division 1 South levels.

"However, it has become apparent that the timing of these discussions - occurring late in the off-season - means that this pathway cannot be fully implemented in time for the 2025–26 season.

"As a result, and in consultation with England Ice Hockey, the Oxford City Stars will treat the upcoming season as a transition year.

"During this period, the club will focus on building a sustainable structure, developing strong foundations, and preparing to return with competitive senior teams in NIHL Division 1 South for the 2026–27 season.

"All registered coaches and players have now been informed, and any players who had signed contracts with Oxford City Stars have been released into free agency.

"The Club would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported Oxford City Stars over the years — players, coaches, volunteers, fans, and sponsors.

"We are equally grateful to Oxford Junior Stars and England Ice Hockey for their collaboration and continued support as we work toward a stronger, united future.

"We kindly ask for the understanding and patience of the ice hockey community as we take this important step toward long-term success and sustainability."

A statement issued by England Ice Hockey said: “We fully support Oxford’s decision to prioritise long-term player development and sustainability.

"A clear, aligned pathway from junior to senior hockey is crucial to growing the game in the right way.

"Oxford’s commitment to restructuring now, in order to return stronger in 2026–27, is a commendable example of putting the future of players and the local game first. England Ice Hockey will continue to work with the club throughout this transition and beyond.”