Man assaulted partner while she was holding baby after England game

Lewis Martin, of Halifax Street, Blackpool, assaulted the woman, who was holding her 15-month-old daughter, in a terrifying and prolonged incident at her Rotherham home, which only came to an end after a passer-by heard pleas for help and called the police.

Judge Michael Slater described the incident as “unrelenting and drink-fuelled, filled with fury and violence.”

As he sent Martin, aged 25, to begin a 28-month prison sentence, Judge Slater told him: “For the complainant it must have been appallingly frightening for her and her child, who would not have had any conception of what was going on, other than her mother was extremely distressed at being ragged around by you.”

Sheffield Crown Court heard how in the weeks before, Martin’s then girlfriend noticed he had begun “drinking more” and had started to use cocaine - the latter of which had resulted in him “hearing voices.”

She attempted to dissuade Martin from drink and drugs, prosecutor David Hewitt told the court.

But Mr Hewitt said matters “came to a head” after the pair visited the home of the complainant’s grandmother to watch an England match.

“During the match the defendant was offered drinks by people who were there, who perhaps weren’t aware of his misuse issues. The defendant was drunk by the time the match started,” Mr Hewitt said, adding that the couple returned to the complainant’s home after the game.

He continued: “He started screaming and shouting about the outcome of the match to people who weren’t there.”

She responded by trying to take her baby daughter away from Martin and up to bed. But as she did so, Martin grabbed his then partner by her neck, pushed her against the wall and pulled her around by her hair - all as she was still holding the tot.

Mr Hewitt described how, in the minutes that followed, Martin pushed his girlfriend to the floor and began punching the cot where her daughter was sleeping.

“It woke her up, and she began screaming. The complainant made the first of two 999 calls to the police. The defendant proceeded to throw the complainant and her daughter to the floor…before grabbing her phone and smashing it,” said Mr Hewitt.

Martin then “threw” the complainant and her daughter down the stairs, causing the little girl to “bang her head on the wall on the stairs.”

As the ordeal continued, with Martin making threats to kill the complainant. She noticed her neighbour nearby, banged on the window to raise the alarm and they called the police.

Mr Hewitt told the court: “The defendant dragged her away from the window by her hair, forcing her and her daughter to the floor where he punched her multiple times, telling her he was going to kill her.”

The complainant went into the kitchen in another attempt to get away from Martin, but whilst there he continued to punch her.

As she tried to shield her daughter from the blows, Martin pushed his hand into the youngster’s face, causing her head to be banged against the wall once again, the court heard.

Get Sheffield’s biggest stories as they’re happening - sign up for the new breaking newsletter

Mr Hewitt said the complainant believed Martin’s violent rampage was finally over when he left her home, locking the door behind him, and taking her keys.

She took the opportunity to call the police on his phone.

“He returned to the property a short time later to recover his phone and proceeded to continue with the assault,” said Mr Hewitt.

Police arrived a short time later, and found Martin in the street. Officers noted he appeared to be under the influence of something, and was muttering incoherently.

“They found the complainant to be highly distressed and had visible injuries,” Mr Hewitt said.

The victims were taken to hospital, and the baby girl was kept in overnight due to bangs to her head during the incident. She was monitored afterwards.

Mr Hewitt said the tot was found to have suffered a cut under her arm, while her mother suffered bruising to a number of areas including her nose, side and stomach.

Martin, of Blackpool, was charged with and pleaded guilty to offences including two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm - one relating to the complainant, and the other to her little girl.

He also admitted further charges of making threats to kill and two counts of criminal damage, pertaining to damage caused to the complainant’s phone and television during the course of the incident.

In a statement submitted to the court earlier this month, the complainant said she was happy to know that Martin had accepted responsibility for “what he did to me and my baby.”

She added: “No–one should be made to feel like that by someone who is meant to care for them. Alcohol or drugs or not feeling well is no excuse.”

The complainant continued by saying she has been in touch with Martin since the incident, believes him to be “truly sorry,” and asked for other sentencing options - other than custody - to be considered by the court.

Judge Slater concluded, however: “There’s simply no appropriate way to sentence today, other than an immediate term of imprisonment. I bear in mind a prison sentence currently has to be served in difficult conditions, but this behaviour, I’m afraid, towards the mother - and her child in particular - was beyond the pale.”

Judge Slater also said he considered the numerous attempts made by Martin to prevent her from calling the police at time of the incident, and later his concerted efforts to dissuade her from supporting the prosecution to be aggravating features of the case.

In mitigation, John Bottomley told the court that Martin was diagnosed with depression and anxiety a short time before the incident.

Mr Bottomley said Martin was put onto anti-depressants around two to three weeks beforehand, and was not, at that time, aware they should not be mixed with alcohol.

“He has no recollection of what happened…he has since moderated his alcohol use and has significantly reduced that because he believes it was a contributory factor,” Mr Bottomley said.

He continued by drawing Judge Slater’s attention to Martin’s lack of previous convictions to three references submitted on Martin’s behalf from two family friends and his employer.

Mr Bottomley said Martin has been employed by a recycling company for many years, and is “well thought of” by staff there.

Continuing in his mitigation, Mr Bottomley suggested Martin was a candidate for a suspended sentence, given his lack of previous convictions, early guilty pleas, employment history and family support.

Jailing Martin, Judge Slater said he saw no reason to impose a restraining order, given the continuing contact between him and the complainant.