Thug beat partner and poured petrol on her with threats
ATHUG poured petrol on his partner and threatened to kill her after beating her up and strangling her when she refused to help him find his phone.
He had previously damaged a number of items in the victim’s home including a microwave, washing machine and an iPhone.
Daniel Adams, 27, of Cwmbran, had been in a relationship with the victim for six years and they have a young child together. On January 28, police received a call at 12.03pm from a stressed-sounding woman who could be heard saying “Leave me alone Dan” before the call came to an end.
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday heard officers attended a property in Cwmbran and could hear the victim shouting: “He’s locked the door and ran out the back.” A search was made for Adams but efforts to locate him were unsuccessful.
The victim told police the defendant had taken offence at a joke she had made that morning and had called her a “c***” before telling her: “I’m sick of your attitude.” They began arguing and he punched the victim to her arms before leaving the house, and she locked the door.
Upon realising he had been locked out, Adams climbed back into the property through an upstairs window. He pushed the victim, before kicking her in the chest and punching her to the head. The defendant asked the victim to ring his phone, but she had hidden hers in fear he would try to break it.
Prosecutor Harriet Ealden said the couple continued arguing as he punched and pinched her, spat in her face and strangled her for 10 seconds. Adams grabbed the victim’s hair in an attempt to pull her up from the floor and began tipping out storage boxes.
He said to the victim: “I am going to tip petrol on you if you don’t tell me where the phone is.”
The defendant added: “I am going to pour petrol on you and kill you.”
Adams then took a chainsaw and poured petrol on the victim’s face and her neck. She could feel the fuel burning her neck, face and eyes.
The defendant went downstairs and the victim called the police, but as she was giving her address he took the phone from her and ended the call before fleeing the house. At the time of the assault the couple’s young child was present.
Ms Ealden said there had been previous incidents where Adams had damaged items in the house. On January 18, he kicked a baby gate, threw a chair and smashed a window, and smashed the victim’s iPhone13 to pieces. On January 24, he threw a spoon at the victim and smashed the door of a washing machine, pushed a microwave off a fridge and damaged a television bracket.
Adams, of Teynes, handed himself in to the police on January 29, having “calmed down”. He later pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and two counts of criminal damage. The defendant has two cautions for using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour, and attempting to destroy/ damage property.
In mitigation, Josh Scouller said his client has mental health issues after he was a witness to domestic abuse as a child, and feels a significant amount of remorse for the potential impact his behaviour would have on his child. The defence barrister said Adams had a reliance on drink and drugs as a coping mechanism, but has now obtained employment as a labourer.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Mills said: “This is a very, very serious case of domestic abuse... It’s an absolutely disgusting and shameful way to behave towards the mother of your child, who was present when this was taking place.” It was said the defendant was a high risk of spousal assault and to members of the public.
Adams was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.