Thug assaulted his pregnant girlfriend after break-up row
AN abusive thug assaulted his pregnant girlfriend after she told him to leave - before attacking her again two months later.
Kallum Lee James Austin stormed out of his thenpartner’s home after being told to get his belongings, Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old then followed her home from the pub on a separate night and assaulted her on her bed, before trying to stop police arresting him.
Prosecuting, Gareth Hughes said the first assault dated back to November 18, 2019, when Austin’s thenpartner returned from a doctor’s appointment at 10.30am.
He told the court that the couple’s relationship was ‘on and off’, and trouble began when Austin asked her ‘if she had stopped being in a strop’.
Mr Hughes said: “She ended up telling him she no longer wanted to be in a relationship, response was and violent.”
The court heard that Austin threw a coffee cup against a wall with contents inside, and damaged furniture, before going upstairs to collect his belongings.
Mr Hughes said Austin then assaulted his partner, grabbing her by the upper arms.
After his partner contacted police, Austin threatened more violence and threw house keys over a neighbour’s fence for his girlfriend to collect, magistrates were told.
She went on to text Austin that she wanted no further contact from him, but Mr Hughes said that he continued to get in touch with her.
On January 19 last year, Austin assaulted his expartner for a second time after following her out of a pub, the court heard.
Mr Hughes said that she had seen him ‘kicking off with bouncers’ before she left.
The court heard that Austin told her he wanted to walk with her because she was pregnant, but he again and his aggressive became aggressive.
Austin spoke of another ex-partner, who he claimed would ‘smash her head in - and she would deserve it’.
The complainant kept trying to escape Austin, but he caught up with her before pushing her against a bench and telling her: “Are you going to sit there and listen to me?”
Mr Hughes said that the woman managed to escape when Austin was distracted, before contacting a friend and the police.
But Austin again managed to catch up to his expartner and enter her property.
In a statement given by the victim, she said Austin ‘grabbed’ her and threw her down onto the bed, before strangling her and putting his weight on her.
Mr Hughes told magistrates that Austin’s partner told him ‘Kallum... the baby... you are crushing me’ - to which he replied: “Don’t use that as an excuse.”
The court heard that Austin caused swelling and bruising on his ex-partner.
Her mother, who lives next door, heard the commotion and tried to see what was going on - but the complainant told her to stay away.
Police attended the incident, and a statement from officers said Austin’s thenpartner was crying when they arrived, while Austin was ‘highly intoxicated’ and ‘unsteady on his feet’.
Officers handcuffed Austin to prevent further injury to others, but he was ‘tensing’ as he tried to resist and pull away.
Austin pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assaulting his former partner on November 18, 2019, as well as assaulting her and obstructing a police officer on January 19, 2020.
Mr Hughes told magistrates that Austin initially pleaded guilty to criminal damage but denied the other charges, and trial dates were fixed before he later changed his pleas to guilty on all counts.
The court heard that the complainant did not want Austin to have a restraining order, as he has since been in contact to see their young child.
Defending, Colin Davidson said his client had also tried to resolve his issued with drinking over the past two years, while a probation report said he suffers with depression and chronic back pain.
He added: “There does seem to have been considerable progress on the situation. She does not want a restraining order. It seems she believes Mr Austin has largely turned himself around and is not the same person he was.”
Austin, of Cooper Fold, Middleton, was handed a total sentence of 12 weeks imprisonment for the four offences, suspended for two years. He must attend 31 ‘building better relationships’ sessions, pay £100 compensation for the criminal damage and pay £100 for the injury caused.
After handing Austin his sentence, magistrate Linda Furness, chair of the bench, warned him: “You are very close to going to prison.
“If you breach your suspended sentence you are likely to be brought back to court. Your liberty is at risk.”