A ‘jealous and possessive’ thug who attacked his partner when she tried to leave him has been spared jail. Richard Jones, 44, was shown mercy by a judge because of the time he had spent on remand and so he can focus on rehabilitation.
The pair were together for only a short period of time but during one bust-up in April last year Jones, who has a conviction for attacking a previous partner, ‘slapped’ the face of his victim and smashed up a TV, a court was told.
When she tried to leave Jones a few weeks later, the pair argued and Jones accused the woman of being unfaithful and then threatened her with a hammer. He ‘struck’ her in the face causing bruising to her eye, prosecutor Olivia Brooksbank-Laing told Minshull Street Crown Court.
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Saul Brody, defending, said his client had been in custody since May 2024, which meant he had served the equivalent of almost a 17-month jail sentence, arguing that an alternative to an immediate jail sentence was ‘justified’.
His client had been diagnosed with autism which ‘makes it difficult to respond appropriately to intimate relationships’, said the barrister. “I’m not suggesting that provides him with any justification what-so-ever for what was appalling behaviour,” said Mr Brody, who went on to say that his client also suffered from anxiety and depression.
He said the victim’s physical injuries were ‘limited to bruising around the eye’ although he conceded the impact on her had been ‘significant’. The barrister added that his client’s physical health was also ‘not terribly good’ and that he had walked with the aid of a stick.
The court heard Jones was remorseful and said of his victim: “I apologise to the victim. She did not deserve that. It won’t happen again. I have learned my lesson.”
Staff at Forest Bank prison, where he was on remand, had reported the defendant was ‘always polite’ and that he had passed a series of courses while behind bars, said Mr Brody.
The court heard Jones had previous convictions for ‘exactly the same sort of behaviour’ with a previous partner who was said to be ‘terrified’ of him, with 23 offences on his record including for violence and harassment.
Judge Bernadette Baxter said: “It’s clear you are a jealous person and a possessive person who will not regulate your emotions.” The judge added that when the defendant lost his temper he ‘became jealous, abusive and violent’.
She said the defendant’s ‘catalogue of behaviour crossed the custody threshold’ but that she was ‘persuaded in the circumstances’ to impose a community order ‘focussed on rehabilitation’.
Jones, of Coleridge Close, Ashton-under-Lyne, was handed a two-year community order and ordered to carry out ten days of rehabilitation activity. He was also told he must complete the ‘Building Choices’ program to address his offending behaviour. He admitted one charge of section 47 wounding, common assault and criminal damage.