Man, 19, strangled partner and told her to ‘die’ at friends’ party

A MAN launched a violent assault on his then-partner in which he told her “die, you b **** ” and strangled, kicked and punched her.

Cameron Bargery was in a relationship with the victim and was 19 when he committed the offence but it took until he was 23 for his case to reach a conclusion.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Bargery, 23, of Cottesmore Way, Cross Inn, Llantrisant, was attending a birthday party with his then-girlfriend on August 22, 2020 at Ynysawdre fields in Bridgend.

The court heard the pair arrived at 8pm but left the group when the defendant said he needed to go and get his bag as he did not feel wanted at the party and said nobody was making an effort with him.

Described as “10 out of 10 drunk” by a witness at the party, Bargery walked to the car with the victim as he hugged her and apologised for embarrassing her – but then became irritated, saying she was taking too long to get the bag.

He asked her to stay in the car for a short period, which she did.

Then, “out of the blue,” the defendant said words to the effect of “when we get back to the field I am going to beat the s*** into you.”

As Bargery followed the victim back to the party, she turned around to see he was running towards her shouting: “give me my f ****** bag back now,” before ripping the bag from her back and throwing it to the floor.

As the victim started running away, Bargery ran and kicked her in the chest, the court heard, causing her to fall to the ground.

As she got back up he grabbed her by the ankles and she fell to the floor again.

He dragged her back towards him as she struggled, and turned her onto her back.

The prosecution described how Bargery punched his victim in the face while shouting: “We were forever, why did you have to make me do this, I wanted my life with you.”

He then strangled her so hard her choker necklace broke in two places and she feared she was going to die.

Bargery told his victim “die, you b **** ,” and alternated between saying he loved and hated her, leaving her struggling to breathe. She escaped by kicking Bargery between the legs and running as quickly as she could towards her friends.

The victim was left with red marks around her neck and scratches to her lower jaw and neck.

In a victim statement read by her barrister, Bargery’s victim said: “This was supposed to be a special, happy memory but unfortunately it became my living nightmare.”

She described using “the last of my strength” to call out the name of her dead grandmother to help her.

She said she now has nightmares of the defendant straddling her, from which she wakes up “shaking” and “crying”. She added that she has not been able to celebrate her friend’s birthday since as it reminds her of the incident, and that she has been prescribed antidepressants and is undergoing tests for PTSD.

To the defendant, she said: “I hope you never hurt anybody again the same as you did to me... you have not only affected me, you have affected my family.

“I hope you get the help you desperately need... [to] turn your life around and learn from your prior mistakes that have impacted my life forever.”

Bargery pleaded guilty to assault actioning actual bodily harm on the day of his trial, and appeared before the court for sentencing on Wednesday. Aggravating factors in the case include the defendant being under the influence of alcohol, that it was a domestic incident and it happened in a public place, the court heard.

In mitigation, Bargery’s barrister Alexander Greenwood said the defendant was 19 at the time of the offence and there had been a “substantial delay” in the case, during which time he had turned his life around after the “toxic relationship” with the defendant came to an end.

Mr Greenwood said the violence was “out of character,” adding: “Your honour has many character references that speak very highly of this young man” and asked for him to be spared custody so he could “carry on with the life he has rebuilt”.

The judge, Mr Recorder Greg Bull KC, said Bargery had behaved in a “quite disgraceful” way, adding: “As a result of your behaviour for which there is no excuse, she now has flashbacks in particular of the incident of you straddling her and attacking her.”

Bargery had one previous conviction for an unrelated driving offence in 2020, and no previous convictions for violent offences. He was entitled to a discount on his sentence as he pleaded guilty at what the judge said was a “very late stage” by which point significant time had been wasted.

The “elephant in the room,” the judge said, was the fact the case took four years to reach this stage, partly due to a dispute over the contents of the victim’s initial statement.

The judge expressed concern at this, saying: “It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied – for both sides.”

Bargery was given a 16-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He will have to attend 29 sessions of the Building Better Relationships programme, undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 10 days of rehabilitation.

He must also pay £1,000 compensation to the victim and pay £800 in costs and a £149 surcharge.

A restraining order preventing him from seeing the victim for 10 years was imposed. The judge added he should keep “well away” from the victim.