A CARLISLE woman’s former boyfriend repeatedly stamped on her body as he tried to make her hand over her mobile phone. 

Through his defence lawyer, 29-year-old Luke James Brown, who was trying to stop the woman phoning the police, told magistrates he was “extremely” sorry for his violence, blaming his actions on alcohol.

Brown, of Welsh Road, Harraby, who admitted an assault by beating and causing criminal damage to the victim’s front door, pleaded guilty to both offences and was immediately jailed.

Pam Ward, prosecuting at the city’s Rickergate court, said the defendant had gone to the victim’s home on February 26 and initially the conversation between the two was friendly.

The mood changed when the woman told Brown she wasn’t hungry and didn't want to share a meal with him, making him annoyed. He opened the woman’s front door with such force that it came off its hinges.

“At this point, she asked him to leave,” said Mrs Ward,

A short time later, he returned to her house saying that he needed to find his tobacco and she told him she had not seen it. As he again left the house, she told him that he should leave her alone.

He reacted by turning round, sprinting towards her aggressively, and pushing his way back into the house, causing her to fall over. She screamed at him to get out.

But he continued asking for his tobacco. It was when she said she was calling the police and went to get her phone that he began trying to wrestle it from her grasp.

READ MORE: Cumbria Police are dealing with 80 domestic violence incidents every week

During the struggle, she dropped the phone on to the floor and tried to retrieve it. The struggle continued as she fell on to the floor, said Mrs Ward. As he tried to get the phone, he repeatedly stamped on her chest.

The violence ended when a neighbour heard what has happening and intervened, the court heard. The encounter left her with bruises on her legs, hips, wrist and collar bone.

Mrs Ward said the victim had not requested a restraining order. The cost of the damaged door – the property of Eden Housing Association – had been assessed at £708. 

Duncan Campbell, defending, told magistrates: “He is extremely contrite and apologetic. All he can put it down to is the effect of alcohol on him on that particular day.

“I discussing the quantity of alcohol, he says he is not a regular drinker and perhaps has an intolerance to it. Prior to this offence, he hadn’t had an alcoholic drink for three months.

“Interestingly, he hasn’t had a drink since this offence.”

Presiding magistrate Keith Southward told the defendant: “This was quite a nasty attack on [the victim]. You went about it in such a way that frightened her and forcibly opened the door; in fact it came off its hinges..

“You stamped on this lady’s chest several times. You had consumed too much alcohol. It was a prolonged attack.”

In view of those facts, magistrates said the sentence had to be custody. They jailed the defendant for 16 weeks. When he is released, the defendant must pay £200 compensation to Eden Housing.