MAN STRANGLED GIRLFRIEND AND HEADBUTTED TV AS 'PLAYFIGHTING' ENDED IN A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
A seemingly minor game of play fighting unexpectedly escalated into a violent outburst, during which a man behaved aggressively towards his girlfriend.He lunged at her, grabbed her around the neck, and strangled her twice.
Ashley Smith then violently punched her in the face, causing a black eye, and continued to choke her.
In addition to assaulting another woman, he caused extensive damage to the house, including headbutting a television, smashing a window, and later damaging cars by hitting them.
He also climbed onto a shed roof, which he fell through due to his weight, resulting in injuries.
The Hull Crown Court learned that Smith, 25, of Bathurst Street, Hull, admitted to charges including intentional strangulation, assault on his girlfriend and another woman, multiple counts of criminal damage, and assaulting a police officer on July 7.
Prosecutor Nigel Clive explained that Smith had been in a relationship with his girlfriend for around four years, but their dispute turned violent during an incident at another woman's house.
They were play fighting, but it escalated into aggression, with Smith warning his girlfriend to be careful about her words.
When she challenged him, he lunged, grabbed her by the throat for approximately five seconds, then punched her.
She tried to kick him away as he continued, while another woman shouted at him.
Smith claimed the other woman was responsible because she let his girlfriend attack him.
He then pursued his girlfriend, again throttling her and hitting her.
After releasing her, he threw a pram at her, damaged household items including smashing a window and hitting the wall, creating a hole.
He also pulled the other woman to the ground, ripping her T-shirt, before they managed to eject him from the house.
The assault left the girlfriend with a black eye and scratches, and his destruction included smashing her house.
Smith then moved onto the street, riding a child's scooter, kicking fences, smashing car windows and mirrors, and jumping across boundaries.
He climbed onto a shed roof, which collapsed under his weight, and was subdued by three people present.
He sustained head and wrist injuries during restraint.
When police arrived, Smith struggled further, kicking an officer, biting, spitting, and continuing to resist arrest before being taken into custody.
He had a history of 24 previous offenses, mostly related to dishonesty, but also including robbery, weapons possession, theft, and breaching criminal behaviour orders, with prior jail terms.
Mitigating lawyer Jazmine Lee noted that Smith's earlier convictions were all from his youth starting in 2017, and that his recent offenses stemmed from a random incident.
She added that Smith expressed remorse immediately during his police interview and was now drug-free and employed full-time as a warehouse worker.
Judge John Thackray KC told Smith: "This was an appalling episode of violence against two women and it culminated in an attack upon a serving police officer.
Your victim must have been terrified.
"She was not to know how that was to end.
The strangulation was repeated.
This was a significant attack upon the police officer." The judge sentenced Smith to two years in prison.
