‘Controlling’ dad who fled court jailed for ex assault
A FATHER who skipped court and fled to Ireland with his daughter has been jailed for 38 weeks for assaulting his former partner.
Brian Owens, 26, of Maes Cyttir, Holyhead, failed to turn up at Caernarfon Magistrates Court on Friday when he was due to be sentenced for three counts of assault and one of sending an offensive or menacing message.
Police said he went to the Republic of Ireland with fiveyear-old Molly and a woman called Elaine Doutch, but returned to Holyhead on Monday and surrendered to officers.
At Caernarfon yesterday, prosecutor Rhian Jackson said Owens had been found guilty in his absence, but had left the court before the matter was heard and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
She said Owens had been in a relationship with Jayne Debra Stowell, 39, who is Molly’s mother.
Ms Jackson said Ms Stowell had moved to an address at Lands End in Holyhead earlier this year, and that Owens had “invited himself” to stay despite the fact they were no longer together. Ms Stowell said Owens was “very controlling” and wrongly accused her of being with another man.
Ms Jackson said Ms Stowell would not go out to meet friends and did not use a mobile phone or the internet. The court heard that, in May and June this year, Owens assaulted Ms Stowell a number of times.
On one occasion, he grabbed her by the neck and “squeezed her throat”. She dropped to her knees on the kitchen floor and almost fainted.
Owens’ solicitor Glyn Roberts told the court he had no previous convictions for assault or domestic violence and had not committed any offence while he had absconded. Mr Roberts said there had been “tensions” between them but that Molly was “the apple of his eye”.
“He is besotted with his daughter,” he said.
Sentencing Owens to 38 weeks, including 12 weeks for breaching a suspended sentence for a motoring offence, bench chairwoman Ffion Jones said: “The offences are so serious that custody is inevitable.”
Owens, who is unemployed, was also ordered to pay £600 to his victim.