Thug jailed for threatening to gouge ex's eye with a fork

A thug who held a fork to his terrified ex partner's cheek and threatened to gouge out her eye in front of their daughter has been locked up.
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The woman had tried to lock herself and her young daughter in bathroom to keep Andrew Batty out, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Batty, 28, had been handed a restraining order of indeterminate length in 2016 to stay from his former partner, prosecutor James Holding said.

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He had been in a relationship for around three years with her and had two children together.

Batty had more than 50 previous convictions.Batty had more than 50 previous convictions.
Batty had more than 50 previous convictions.

On June 15 she had been at her grandmother's address on Stansfield Road in Castleford when Batty knocked on the door and asked her if he could use her telephone.

He then barged past the grandmother and went up the stairs shouting abuse at his ex.

He became even more angry when the woman tried to text his current partner about what he was doing, and grabbed her by the throat and took her phone off her.

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She then locked herself in the bathroom with her daughter, but Batty grabbed a fork and was able to pick the lock before lunging at her again, pressing the fork against her cheek and threatened to gouge her eye.

Batty panicked when he was told the police had been called and left.

He was arrested and initially denied it, but said that he and his former partner had been talking about getting back together.

Batty, of Gannet Close, Castleford, has a lengthy criminal record with more than 53 convictions, and a long history of failing to comply with court orders.

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Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand, he admitted breaching the restraining order.

Mitigating, Robert Stevenson said his client had "significant" mental health issues for which he had never received help.

He said: "He is sorry for his actions and not sought to dispute what he did. He is desperate to get help."

Recorder Bryan Cox QC told Batty: "This was a very serious breach, it's an important order to protect her (his ex partner) and give her some peace of mind.

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"You threatened to gouge out her eye. She must have been terrified.

"You have an exceptionally long history of breaching court orders, and you are simply not prepared to comply with them."

He handed Batty two years' jail.