OSWESTRY MAN IN COURT FOR ASSAULTING WIFE IN WREXHAM
A MAN who kneed his wife in the face and struck her in the head with a bottle in full view of the public in Wrexham has been jailed.Kelvin Tapera, of Gobowen Road in Oswestry, appeared for sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court on Monday morning via video link from prison.
The 26-year-old had previously admitted one offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Ember-Jade Wong, prosecuting, told the court that on August 17, Tapera was on police bail with conditions not to contact his wife, Majorie Mutemasango.
However, on that day, they attended a balloon festival together and went to watch football, before going to Wrexham city centre.
After getting some food, matters "turned" with the defendant telling the complainant: "You think you're clever.
You think you can get me arrested.
I will come for you." A short time later, as Ms Mutemasango walked away from Tapera, he took her phone from her and asked who she had been talking to on it.
She managed to get it back and as she put her head down to put the object in her bag, the defendant kneed her to the nose, causing it to bleed.
He then shouted "let's go" and struck her to the back of the head with a bottle.
Members of the public who were walking by saw the assault - which Tapera instructed the victim to claim was not committed by him.
A pair of young men who saw it happen ran at Tapera and he promptly ran away, attempting to drag the complainant with him.
Quoting from Ms Mutemasango's victim statement, Ms Wong said the defendant's conduct made her feel "terrified of further violence." Judge Timothy Petts told the defendant: "You kneed her in the face, making her nose bleed, and hit her on the head with a glass bottle.
She was left with some injuries - fortunately nothing more serious, physically, than bruises and bleeding.
But understandably, she was terrified by what you did.
The pre-sentence report makes for sorry reading.
It's clear you have a limited insight into the seriousness of what you did and didn't take responsibility for that.
I don't believe your remorse is genuine; it's very late in the day and you had a lot of opportunities when interviewed by probation to express that.
Saying at the 11th hour that you're sorry doesn't carry much weight with me, I'm afraid."
