By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 12:07, Monday, 11 March 2013

A man who terrorised his ex-partner at her home has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Judge Paul Batty

Christopher Cook, 23, went to the house in Kirkland Avenue, Wigton, where Dawn Holliday was with her – and his – nine-month-old daughter.

She let him in because she felt he had a right to see the baby, prosecutor Alan Lovett told Carlisle Crown Court, but almost immediately noticed he was “different”.

“He was very quiet and withdrawn,” Mr Lovett said.

But, the court heard, soon he started throwing things around, and outside the house picked up a shovel in a threatening manner, and started hitting the wall with a brick.

As he left, the court heard, Cook kicked out at the gate, damaging it.

The police arrived within minutes and spotted Cook walking down the street.

He held his wrists out in front of him and asked to be handcuffed, saying: “I have done something stupid.”

Cook, of Abbey Street, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray.

His barrister Greg Hoare told the court: “He recognises this was a particularly silly and stupid course of conduct to engage in, particularly when one of the things he is interested in is the welfare of his child. He realises he has put that in jeopardy.”

Judge Paul Batty QC said he took into account certain problems in Cook’s life, which were not divulged in court. “In normal circumstances to custody you would have gone – that is how seriously I view this type of domestic violence,” he told him. “You know you terrorised that lady.”

But, he said, there was material in the probation officer’s pre-sentence report which enabled him to step back from imposing a prison sentence.

“In my judgement the public – and you and your ex-partner – would be best served by the problems you undoubtedly have in your life being addressed by the intervention of the probation service,” he said.

Cook was put under a 12-month community order and made to do 120 hours unpaid community work.

First published at 11:38, Monday, 11 March 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk