Man attacked partner with piece of glass and trashed her home
Wrexham: Man attacked partner with piece of glass and trashed her home
By Court Reporter
Robert Graham Jones
A MAN who attacked his partner with a piece of glass and then trashed her home when she was pregnant with his baby has been jailed for three years.
Robert Graham Jones, 27, of Alwen, Acrefair, near Wrexham, flooded her home and damaged her property - including a Moses Basket bought for the unborn child.
Jones was told the sentence would have to be served consecutively to a sentence of five years and three months that he is already serving for drugs offences.
On a previous occasion the sentencing hearing had to be aborted when Jones, on a live link from prison, lost control, swore, said he was not listening to any more and turned over a table.
He appeared in the dock at Mold Crown Court where Judge Niclas Parry warned him to stay calm.
Jones admitted controlling or coercive behaviour against former girlfriend Paris Gray, unlawful wounding, burglary and criminal damage.
He caused a flood at her home and damaged her property – even the Moses Basket bought for his unborn child had been trampled upon which left his ex devastated.
She said that she could not believe what he had done.
Judge Parry told Jones he had a history of violence and the latest offences involved "obsessive behaviour".
His partner had been thrown against a wall and throttled and on one occasion was left on the side of the road without shoes.
He interfered with her social media account and taunted her.
Frightening threats had been made to harm her and her unborn child, the judge said.
He had launched a piece of glass at her which broke the skin at the top of her leg.
Judge Parry said Jones did not know that she was pregnant at that stage.
But he knew eight months later when he entered her home, flooded her home by turned on the taps but blocked the plugs and damaged items including those bought for the baby's arrival.
It had a significant effect on the victim.
Judge Parry said he had considered the issue of dangerousness and he was satisfied from what he had witnessed himself that his "explosive nature continued".
"You really are a high risk of causing significant harm to others," he said.
But he had also read good things about him and in view of the substantial determinate sentence available he would not impose an extended sentence.
Prosecuting barrister Simon Mintz said that the wounding occurred when he lost his temper, smashed a window and he threw a chard of glass at her causing a two centimetre laceration to her leg.
The damage occurred when she was eight month pregnant and he flooded her home and caused damage valued at £3,800.
"It turned out that a Moses basket bought for the forthcoming birth of the baby had been trampled on," said Mr Mintz.
During the burglary, when the victim had been staying with a relative, curtains and cushions had been slashed and there was a hole in her television.
It left her "shocked, disgusted and sick" at the damage he had caused.
After she ended the relationship there had been a series of threatening messages from him.
In a victim impact statement Miss Gray told how she did not feel safe to go out on her own.
She was devastated that he could offend against her and her daughter in such a way.
Barrister Duncan Bould, defending, said it was a question of totality because of the current sentence he was serving for drugs offences.
Mr Bould said that in view of what had happened at the previous hearing, Jones wanted to apologise to the judge.
He had not at the time appreciated that the judge had seen the more positive aspects of a progress report from the probation service.
But he was entirely realistic and appreciated that in view of his previous convictions he faced a statutory minimum three year sentence for the burglary at his former partner's home.
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