Dad jailed for assaulting ‘annoyed’ teen daughter
A FATHER who attacked his teenage daughter at a business event after she called him “annoying” has been jailed for 14 months.
Businessman Nathan Smith lost his temper as he accused Shania, 19, of “disrespecting” him after organising work experience for her.
Smith, 41, was said to have overheard his daughter telling one of her colleagues that her dad was annoying her at a pre-Christmas cryptocurrency event at Penally Manor in Pembrokeshire.
Prosecutor Regan Walters told a court that Smith, from Croydon, South London, then called her into his room for a chat and told her: “Don’t disrespect me in front of people” that he did not know personally.
Shania replied that she was not disrespecting him, but admitted that he was annoying her.
As she went to leave the room, Smith grabbed her and threw her on to the bed, Swansea Crown
Court heard. Mr Walters said: “He grabbed her by the neck using both hands.” The court was told Shania was still able to breathe before Smith then pulled her up, holding her by the chest and pushed her against a wall. Mr Walters said Shania was able to get towards the door again, but again her father grabbed her and dragged her back into the room. Colleagues outside the room intervened and separated the pair. The police were eventually called and arrived around four hours after the father-and-daughter bust-up.
In a statement read to Swansea Crown Court, Shania said that she “felt so let down” by her father’s actions. “I just don’t feel safe,” she added.
The court heard that Smith has seven previous convictions.
He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the event in December last year.
In an interview, Smith alleged to officers that earlier that day his daughter had been pulled over by police after she had gone out in a car with other people at the event. He claimed he had received a call from the police and had to drive the car back.
James McKenna, mitigating, said: “This is a situation that should have never ever occurred. He is appalled by it.
“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances. The defendant’s intention wasn’t to assault his daughter in that room.
“However, things got out of hand very, very quickly. This was spontaneous. It was impulsive.”
Shania was granted a three-year restraining order against her father.