Bully who ‘degraded’ girlfriend sent to jail
He spat in her face and dragged her around by the hair
ABULLYING and abusive thug who attacked his girlfriend twice in the space of a month has been jailed. Leon Hollinrake, 25, became angry for ‘no apparent reason’ one morning while they were at his parents’ house. He attacked her, dragging her by the hair to the stairs before she lost her footing and fell. Despite her forgiving him, Hollinrake, of Turf Hill Road, attacked her again weeks later, spitting in her face and ‘rubbing it in’ with his hand.
He pleaded guilty to offences of assault, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Minshull Street Crown Court and was jailed for 19 months.
Sentencing him, Recorder Imran Shafi QC said: “You became abusive and utterly degrading.”
ABULLYING and abusive thug attacked his girlfriend twice in the space of a month - he dragged her by the hair, hit her and spat in her face.
Leon Hollinrake, 25, had formed a relationship with the woman just two months before, after they met at work.
However, things quickly turned sour as he became angry for ‘ no apparent reason’ one morning while they were at his parents’ house, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
He attacked her, dragging her by the hair to the stairs before she lost her footing and fell.
Despite forgiving him, Hollinrake, of Rochdale, attacked her again weeks later, spitting in her face and ‘rubbing it in’ with his hand.
The woman has since left the country.
Hollinrake pleaded guilty to offences of assault, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for 19 months.
In the first incident, Hollinrake and the woman were at his parents’ home on August 8, 2019 and were just chatting in his room when he became angry for ‘no apparent reason’.
She recalled that he had previously told her he had been in trouble with the police for assaulting a former girlfriend.
After accusing her of being ‘cocky’ and a liar, he was called downstairs to his mum, and after sounds of shouting, his mum appeared to have left the house.
“He returned to the bedroom, still in a rage, and grabbed her by the back of the neck and hair,” Mr Donnelly said.
“She was dragged to the stairs, lost her footing and fell down the stairs, banging her head on the floor.
“He pulled her up by her hair again and demanded that she return upstairs; in the bedroom he tore her T-shirt and struck her once to the side of her face.”
The girl forgave Hollinrake after he apologised, and used makeup to cover her black eye when she had an appointment later that day.
They continued the relationship, and a few weeks later on August 23, they were both alone in the house when he again flew into a rage.
“For no apparent reason he became abusive towards her, saying that she was ‘ungrateful’ and ‘a fake’,” the prosecutor continued.
“His anger soon escalated into a rage and he struck her across both sides of her face before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the floor.
“She got up and sat on the bed, whereupon he grabbed her hair again and spat in her face, rubbing the saliva in with his hand.”
Hollinrake then put his arm across her, digging his elbow into his chest.
As she was struggling to breathe she retaliated by biting his thumb and kicking him between the legs before she left.
He was arrested later that day after he had turned up to her mum’s house and refused to leave.
In a victim personal statement, she described the incident affecting her physically and mentally, and said it has taken away her innocence. She says that she felt “ashamed, angry, agitated, upset, weary and paranoid”, and said she felt that it would impact upon her future relationships.
Hollinrake was said to have two previous convictions for five offences relating to assaults against an ex-girlfriend and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his own sister.
Mitigating, Gordon Hennell said his client apologises ‘unreservedly’ to the victim for the ‘wrong he has done’.
He said Hollinrake has been doing charitable work in the community over lockdown.
“You sometimes read when people appearing for sentence have a different side to themselves that indicates they are not that bad - that doesn’t tend to happen when you are guilty of domestic violence,” Mr Hennell said.
“This is not such a man - his character references speak highly of him.”
Sentencing him, Recorder Imran Shafi QC said: “You became abusive and utterly degrading, you spat in her face.
“It’s plain to anybody that you, for whatever reason, lose your temper and assault women.
“I have no doubt, for whatever reason, you want to exercise control in these circumstances and that is very worrying.
“I can’t understand why you behave in that way - you need to change your attitude towards women in general.
“You are a real Jekyll and Hyde character.”
Hollinrake, of Turf Hill Road, was jailed for 19 months.