Man broke into home of his ex and attacked her
A TERRIFIED mum had a cloth stuffed into her mouth by a jilted ex who broke in while she was out and lay in wait to attack her.
Matthew Fearn had taken the end of his five-year relationship with Carly Ward badly and when she returned home from a night out in the early hours, he was lurking next to her home.
Afraid, she got back in a taxi and didn’t go back until four hours later, at 8am on a Sunday morning.
But when she went inside she was shocked to see he had broken in and was waiting for her.
A court heard he dragged her to the floor, pinned her down then forced the cloth into her mouth to keep her quiet.
She was eventually saved by the intervention of a neighbour and now Fearn 30, of Stretton Way, Backworth, North Tyneside, has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court.
Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said the couple had been in an on-off relationship and Carly would leave him because of his misuse of drugs and the fact he sometimes stopped taking his prescribed medication, which affected his mood.
She ended things for good in
July this year but he struggled to come to terms with it.
On Saturday, July 10, she went out for the night and returned home around 4am with a male friend.
Mr Wardlaw said: “When she got out of the taxi, she became aware of the defendant by the side of the house and he said he wanted to see her.
“She became frightened because she didn’t expect him to be there and she asked him to leave her alone. She got back in the taxi and left.”
She returned at 8am and noticed her front gate had been damaged.
Mr Wardlaw said: “To her surprise, she found the defendant inside. She didn’t know how he came to be there.
“He became aggressive, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into the lounge.
“He was angry and speaking through gritted teeth and pulled her to the floor then pulled her from the living room to the kitchen.
“He straddled her chest and pinned her down and put a cloth in her mouth to stop her screaming. She was gagging and retching.”
Carly tried to run off to escape but he pulled her back but she eventually escaped when a neighbour turned up.
She said: “I honestly thought he was going to kill me.”
It later transpired Fearn had stolen £350 from her wardrobe and a further £500 from her handbag. The court heard he had also taken passports belonging to his ex and their young child. Referring to a victim impact statement, Mr Wardlaw said: “She describes mixed emotions – feeling numb and anxious, and she would shake and feel panicky.
“She no longer feels safe in her own home.
“She’s a 30-year-old woman and the only time she feels safe is when she’s with her mother.
“She has bad dreams and sleeps for only three hours a night.”
Fearn, who has 15 previous convictions, including for battery and harassment, pleaded guilty to assault by beating, burglary and criminal damage. A charge of false imprisonment was dropped.
He was jailed for 15 months and made subject to a five-year restraining order.
Shaun Routledge, for Fearn, said: “He bitterly regrets his behaviour.”