TEESSIDE MAN JAILED FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING AND ASSAULT ON WIFE AFTER TRAGIC SON'S DEATH
David Jenkins, a 38-year-old man from Teesside, was convicted and sentenced for dangerous driving and assault causing actual bodily harm to his wife, Abigail Jenkins.Despite being under a non-molestation order that prohibited contact with his wife, Jenkins resumed their relationship and engaged in reckless and violent behavior.
Court reports indicate that Jenkins attempted to control his wife through jealousy, using Snapchat maps to track her location and cutting wires to the CCTV.
On March 6, Jenkins' anger culminated in him reversing his car at high speed with their daughter inside, knocking her over and hitting his wife, who had just gotten up after being knocked over earlier.
Jenkins then accelerated away with the car door still open, striking his wife again, and left with their crying baby daughter in the vehicle.
When police arrived, Jenkins was found still driving and stopped only after officers forced the car into a lamp post.
Jenkins claimed he thought the non-molestation order had been lifted and that the couple had reunited, but he later breached the order again by creating fake social media profiles and messaging his estranged wife.
The court also highlighted Jenkins' history of prior convictions, including a four-year sentence in 2007 for wounding with intent, and his 16 previous convictions for 29 offences.
Jenkins was sentenced to two years and two months in prison, and was disqualified from driving for three years, with the requirement to retake a driving test before regaining his license.
The case was marked by a tragic background, including the death of Jenkins and his wife’s two-year-old son, Jacob, in 2015 after choking on a grape in a restaurant.
An inquest ruled Jacob’s death an accident, but his death was a significant reminder of the dangers of choking incidents.
The court acknowledged Jenkins’ remorse but emphasized that his reckless behavior caused harm and fear to his wife and daughter, recognizing the profound impact of past tragedies on his actions.
