HORDEN THUG ON A 'DOWNWARD SPIRAL' STRANGLED PARTNER
George Holmes has been put behind bars after two alcohol-fuelled attacks on the woman.In both cases, George Holmes had been drinking heavily when he got into arguments with his partner of only a few months.
Durham Crown Court was told Holmes, who has been in custody since late last October, initially denied all matters at a plea hearing, in November, and a trial was scheduled for this week (April 13).
But the court heard that, “having had time to reflect”, the 35-year-old defendant, of Smillie Road, Horden, offered guilty pleas to two counts of intentional strangulation, plus common assault and damaging property, at a hearing last month.
The sentencing hearing, on Friday (April 17) was told the prosecution accepted those pleas on the basis that in both cases of strangulation the complainant did not lose consciousness.
Adrian Strong, prosecuting, said the relationship began in the spring of last year and the complainant said things were initially “good” as the defendant treated her and her family well.
But there were the two incidents in which he became violent, in September and October.
Mr Strong said in the first, at the defendant’s home at the time, in Peterlee, an argument began “out of nothing”.
He threw his partner’s case out and shouted that she should leave.
Holmes put his hands around her neck and strangled her, but she was unable to say for how long.
He then dragged the petrified victim by the arms to the front door and, again, told her to get out.
Holmes pushed her out and she returned to her home address.
Following that incident, things returned to normal for a while, so the incident was not reported to police, as the victim said she put it down to “an aberration” and “a one-off”, while in drink.
But Mr Strong said when the pair were drinking together at her home, in Horden, into the early hours of October 16, the defendant became aggressive again, pushing his face into hers and again putting his hands around her neck.
Holmes choked her to the point she was unable to fight him off, while he also pushed glasses and bottles off a table in anger.
The victim lost track of what happened but when she recovered her senses, she thought Holmes had left.
She went into the living room, only to find him still present and he pinned her against the door frame for about ten seconds, banging her head and leaving her with bruise marks on her neck.
The victim begged him to get out, which he did, but he did not leave the area, and he could be heard shouting, demanding items back, including his passport.
Police were called and the defendant was still there when officers arrived.
He was arrested and denied all the allegations when interviewed later, claiming he could remember nothing after 10pm the previous night.
Although he was bailed and made subject of a domestic violence protection order, he was arrested, again, ten days later, having breached that order, and has been in custody since.
In her victim statement, Holmes’ now ex-partner said he left her at “rock bottom”, with his “unacceptable” angry outbursts being unprovoked and she no longer wants to see him, afraid of what he might do in the future.
Tony Davis, for the defendant, provided a character reference to the court from Holmes’ previous partner of 15 years.
Mr Davis said the start of his “downward spiral” was the break-up of that relationship.
The judge sentenced him to two years in prison for the two incidents of strangulation amid drunken outbursts, and imposed a restraining order for five years, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching the victim or attending her home address.
