Drunken Pontefract man 'strangled partner' during argument

A drunken man tried to strangle his partner after she tried to climb out of bedroom window to escape him, a court was told.
Monkhill Drive in Pontefract.Monkhill Drive in Pontefract.
Monkhill Drive in Pontefract.

Adam Hawksby admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the incident on Monkhill Drive in Pontefract on the evening of February 19.

Appearing at Leeds Crown Court today, it was heard how an argument over infidelity broke out and Hawksby followed her around the property.

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After running into the bedroom to get away from him, she tried to get out of the window. Unable to escape, he then grabbed her around the throat as she struggled for breath.

The court was told that Hawksby, of Front Street, Pontefract, was no longer with his partner.

Mitigating, James Littlehales said his client admitted that he needed help.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar said: "Needless to say you were under the influence of drink and drugs.

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"The picture which emerges is that because of drink you had 'lost it' that evening and resorted to putting your hands around her neck and trying to strangle her.

"The evidence of marks are clear, and she also sustained bruising to other parts of her body.

"The assault was sustained because you followed her around the house and ended up in the bedroom.

"So frightened was she that she was trying to get out of the window. It was after that that you tried to strangle her.

"A case such as this merits a custodial sentence."

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He handed Hawksby a six-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, and ordered him to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and a 'building better relationships' programme.

He was also given a five-year restraining order to stay away from his former partner.