Woman beater refused to leave former partner alone

A 30-year-old Derby man with a history of offending against ex-partners persistently turned up at one of their homes despite being banned.

Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court heard how Bradley Cook was caught three times on the same evening on CCTV loitering outside her Mickleover address.

The victim reported the matter to the police who arrived and arrested the defendant, of Alvaston.

James Close, mitigating, said: “Let’s cut to the chase, I am not going to waffle on, he’s been in prison a lot.

“Probation say he needs intensive supervision, is there any point returning him to prison or could he receive some supervision?

“His relationships keep going wrong because he does not know how to handle them. But if you just put him in prison he’s just going to come out and do that again in my opinion.”

Lynn Bickley, prosecuting, said Cook has previous convictions for offending against previous partners dating back to 2015 and 2019, including common assaults on them.

She said on July 15 of this year the defendant was handed a restraining order as part of his punishment for offences against a third woman who he had been in a relationship with. Under its terms he was not allowed to contact her or go to her address in Mickleover.

She said: “On August 10 she had just got home when she received a notification, a friend request on Facebook from this defendant and then another from him on August 11.

“On November 17, at 6pm, she was at her address and received a WhatsApp message from the defendant which she replied to saying she did not wish to be contacted by him.

“She has a Ring doorbell and at 9.45pm she received a notification on her phone and saw on her app that the defendant was loitering outside.”

Miss Bickley said at 11.20pm, the same night, she received a second notification on the app and again saw Cook pacing outside her property.

Just over and hour later the victim had a third notification when the defendant rang the bell again. She called the police who arrived and arrested him.

The defendant, of Bembridge Drive, pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a restraining order.

District Judge Andrew Meachin handed him a 26-week jail term, suspended for two years. He also told Cook to attend 10 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service and pay £85 costs and a £128 surcharge.

Judge Meachin said: “Clearly you have issues with relationships and coming out of them.”