CASTLEFORD DAD MARTIN COLEMAN HIT PARTNER, PINNED DOWN STEPSON, SPAT AT OFFICER AND TOLD HIM HE HAD HIV
A Castleford man has been given a second chance after a series of violent and racially motivated incidents.Martin Coleman, aged 49, who had stayed out of trouble for nearly 18 years, was given a community order last year but continued offending.
Leeds Crown Court was told that on February 11 this year, Coleman, residing on Frisian Close, got into an argument with his partner over his drinking.
The prosecutor, Bashir Ahmed, stated that the woman tried to leave their home but was prevented by Coleman.
Her 20-year-old stepson intervened.
It was noted that Coleman had gained custody of his stepson at 16 following a breakup with his mother.
Mr Ahmed indicated that Coleman’s recent behavior had been volatile and alcohol-fueled, leading to verbal aggression and damage at home.
The woman had been dating Coleman for about ten months.
After a night of heavy drinking and an argument, she attempted to leave, but Coleman tried to stop her.
Her stepson came downstairs and helped her during this incident.
Following this, Coleman followed the woman outside, with his stepson walking behind him.
The court heard that Coleman grabbed his stepson by the neck, causing him to stumble.
He then pinned him to the ground with his knee on his neck and assaulted him with punches and slaps, leaving scratches, cuts, and bruises.
Police arrived, and Coleman launched racial and religious insults toward an officer, threatening to harm him and claiming he was HIV positive.
He spat at the officer and continued racial slurs, including references to Ramadan, while inside the police vehicle.
During the police investigation, the woman revealed that Coleman had violently assaulted her on previous occasions, including hitting her with a flip-flop in October 2022 and throwing a perfume-filled bag at her in December, which caused bleeding behind her ear.
She also alleged he injured her toe with a high-heeled boot.
When questioned, Coleman answered “no comment” before pleading guilty to three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and a racially and religiously aggravated assault on an emergency worker.
His criminal record includes 81 offences dating back to 1990, though he had not committed crimes for about 17 or 18 years prior to a 2022 conviction for possession of a knife and criminal damage, resulting in a community order.
Defense lawyer Laura Addy explained that Coleman had struggled with drug use but had turned his life around after the loss of his partner in 2008, with whom he had children.
She added: “It was when he was told he would be the carer that he decided to reform.
He committed himself to staying out of trouble until last year.” The judge, Recorder Green KC, sentenced Coleman to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He was also ordered to complete 90 days of alcohol abstinence monitoring, perform 100 hours of unpaid work, and stay away from his former partner for five years through a restraining order.
