A FORMER Emmerdale star gave a character reference for a violent thug in court after he beat up a couple in a savage street attack, The Sun can reveal.
TV actress Kelli Hollis, who also appeared in Shameless, wrote a reference for Lee Brimble, 36, after he admitted carrying out a senseless attack on a mum of three and her boyfriend.
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The reference was read by a judge at Leeds Crown Court before Brimble was jailed for 32 months last Friday.
Actor Brimble punched Kelly Brawley and Mark Hughes into the ground as their terrified children watched in horror outside his home in Halton Moor, Leeds, West Yorkshire, in June 2019.
Kelly is scarred for life after suffering a shattered eye socket, needing three operations and requiring six plates, while Mark was knocked out cold in the attack and suffered facial injuries.
Former hotel housekeeper Kelly told the court: “It genuinely breaks my heart to look at myself in the mirror.”
The assaults were caught on CCTV and the footage, which Brimble himself said made him feel “sick”, was seen by the judge.
Before sentencing Judge Christopher Batty said he had read a number of references on Brimble’s behalf, including from Hollis, 45, who had acted alongside him on the TV movie ‘Tina Goes …’ trilogy.
The movies were set on the tough Halton Moor estate and Brimble played a character called Muffy.
Hollis also played Melanie Say in the TV soap Emmerdale in 2002 and portrayed shopkeeper Yvonne Karib in Shameless for six years starting in 2004.
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In court, Judge Batty told Brimble: “There’s a lot to like in your personality, but when you lose your temper it is very difficult for you to get it back.
“What you did on that night is just too serious to overlook.”
Describing the video of the attack, Judge Batty added: “When you lost your temper, you were up for the fight.
“You took your shirt off and you were bouncing around.”
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Brimble was jailed for 32 months and given a lifetime restraining order to not contact his former friend Kelly Brawley after pleading guilty to unlawful wounding and grievous bodily harm.
Prosecutor Howard Shaw said Mark Hughes was knocked out cold in the attack and suffered facial wounds. Kelly sustained lacerations to her left cheek and damage to her eye socket.
Despite surgery on three occasions she is left with a sunken face, tinnitus and toothache and is on pain killers.
“She actually has to live with this for the rest of her life,” said Mr Shaw.
Speaking to The Sun, Kelly said of Brimble’s sentence: “I’m glad this nightmare is over. I’ve been worried that he was going to get away with it since it happened. I’m heavily pregnant and the stress on me having to give evidence was horrendous.
“I hope he learns his lesson from his sentence and that he never does anything like this again.”
