Thug followed ex-partner at night and attacked her
ATHUG followed his expartner home late at night and subjected her to a brutal street attack.
Reece Lynch tracked Hannah Clannachan as she walked alone after a night out with friends on August 30.
When she ignored his calls he ran towards the mum, forced her to the ground then, after directing a series of punches towards her face, stamped on her head.
Lynch appeared on a video link from prison for his hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.
Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: “Ms Clannachan had been out in Widnes town centre with friends and, I think by chance, saw the defendant in at least one – if not more than one – of the premises she had been to in the course of the night.”
Mr Hussey said Ms Clannachan was walking home between 3.30am and 4am when she heard Lynch shouting at her.
He continued: “She recalls seeing and hearing the defendant, who appeared to be following her and began to call out at her.
“It would appear from her account she did not want to engage with him.
“It would appear that at some point he ran towards her and accosted her. Her account is he threw her to the floor then got aside her and then began to deliver a series of punches towards her.”
Mr Hussey said those punches were aimed towards the victim’s face and that Lynch then stood up and “stomped” on her head.
He added: “She, at that stage, thinks that she might have blacked out.
“At some stage she regained consciousness and saw the defendant running away from the scene and she managed to get back to her feet and make her way home.”
Ms Clannachan saw a friend the following morning who, upon seeing her injuries, urged her to contact police.
She suffered “significant” bruising to her head and eyes and fractured bones in a hand.
The court heard Lynch and Ms Clannachan had formerly been in a relationship and had a child together.
In a victim impact statement read to the court on her behalf, she described how she felt following
You attacked a woman who was walking home alone at night. The impact on her has been substantial JUDGE STUART DRIVER
the ordeal: “After the incident I was scared to leave the house initially because Reece had not been arrested. After this I was anxious going out and people seeing me with a black eye.”
The attack, which replays in her mind, made her “hyper-vigilant”, she added.
Zara Wilde, defending Lynch, said: “The defendant is ashamed at how disgracefully he acted towards the mother of his child.”
The court heard the 25-yearold had previously been locked up for a violent attack.
Lynch, of Grizedale in Widnes, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Sentencing him to 27 months behind bars, of which he will serve at least half, judge Stuart Driver, QC, told Lynch: “You attacked a woman who was walking home alone at night. You put her to the floor and while she was on the floor you stamped on her head. The impact on her has been substantial.”