Violent ex assaulted his former partner and her new boyfriend

Steven Peter Collins, 31, of Chasecliff Close, Loundsley Green, Chesterfield, grabbed his ex’s phone before pushing her twice, according to a Chesterfield magistrates’ court hearing.

Prosecuting solicitor Sarah Haslam told the hearing on Wednesday, September 14: “Steven Collins was looking after a child for his ex-partner and he brought the child back and he grabbed a phone saying he was going to smash it.”

Mrs Haslam told the court Collins had wanted to delete messages he had sent with alleged threats aimed at his ex’s new partner.

Collins pushed his ex, according to Mrs Haslam, causing her to scrape her arm and suffer a five-to-six inch long cut before he went into the garden and deleted texts.

Mrs Haslam added that he subsequently pushed the complainant in her chest and as she dialled 999 he took a bread knife and made a cut to his wrist as if he was going to kill himself.

The court also heard how two months earlier Collins had punched his ex’s new partner while he had been inside the complainant’s home.

Mrs Haslam said: “He went into the property and went into the bedroom and punched his ex’s new partner who was wearing glasses and he suffered a cut to his nose because of the glasses.”

Collins’s ex stated that she feels anxious every time a car pulls up or a phone rings and she is frightened she will be confronted and hurt by the defendant again.

However, she added that she does not want Collins to go to prison.

The defendant told police he had been upset when he assaulted his ex because he had learned she was taking her new partner to a family wedding.

He also accepted to police that he had assaulted her partner during an earlier incident.

Collins, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex on July 15 and admitted assaulting her partner on May 12.

Magistrates adjourned the case to consider a probation report before sentencing on October 5.

Collins was released on conditional bail.