MAN JAILED FOR VIOLENT ASSAULT AND RECKLESS DRIVING IN BOLTON
A thug throttled the mother of his child and bit her during a sickening assault in her own home.Barry Purcell told his terrified victim "I'm not going to stop until you're dead" as he repeatedly attacked her, a court heard.
During the vile incident on August 12 2021, Purcell also spat at the woman, threw a suitcase at her and used one of her shoes to hit her in the head.
It all happened while their young child was also present, prosecution barrister Callum Ross told Bolton Crown Court.
After being arrested, Purcell repeatedly breached his bail conditions by threatening the woman and harassing her.
Purcell, 28, of Duke Street, Bolton, has today (October 4) been jailed for two years after being convicted of battery, criminal damage, harassment, witness intimidation, and malicious communications in relation to the victim.
He was also convicted of aggravated vehicle taking with an accident causing injury, following a separate incident in April 2021.
On that occasion, Mr Ross told the court that Purcell had been drinking heavily and was driven to a house in Ainsdale, Southport, by one of his friends.
When his friend got out of the Citroen C2, Purcell jumped in the driver's seat, while the friend's six-year-old child moved into the passenger seat.
Purcell sped off, zig-zagging in the road at speeds reaching 70mph despite speed bumps.
The child, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown forward and hit his head on the windscreen.
Purcell fled the scene and the child was taken to Ormskirk Hospital, later discharged with no serious injuries.
As a result, the child's mother lost custody and now only sees him six hours per week, expressing her distress in a victim impact statement.
It was while on bail for that offence that Purcell returned to his ex-girlfriend's home on August 12 2021, banging on the door and demanding entry.
After she ignored him, he punched her bedroom window, smashing it and cutting his hand, then forced his way in through the back door.
He responded to her attempts to leave by threatening her, threw a suitcase, hit her with a shoe, and put both hands around her neck.
He also tried to bite her nose but she managed to escape temporarily, only to be dragged back inside and subjected to further violence including biting, kicking, spitting, and threats.
Between September 2021 and February 2022, Purcell sent threatening messages, saying "You’re both getting it.
The child is going into care," and threatened to distribute explicit images.
During a court hearing, Judge Martin Walsh described Purcell's driving offence as a "grotesquely reckless act" and sentenced him to two years in prison, plus a restraining order and a four-year driving ban.
