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Man jailed for four months for beating up girlfriend (From Echo)
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Man jailed for four months for beating up girlfriend
11:00am Friday 10th July 2009
A MAN who punched his girlfriend in the face and ribs after she spurned his advances has been jailed.
Michael Stevenson, 53, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court to deny two counts of assault on his 22-year-old girlfriend.
He was found guilty of both counts, and was jailed for four months for an incident on February 14 and two months for another attack on March 25, to run concurrently.
The court was told in the first incident, Stevenson, of Station Road, Westcliff, assaulted the woman in the early morning of February 14 this year after she turned him down when he wanted to sleep with her.
Giving evidence, the woman said: “I was lying down on the settee and he asked me, but I declined because I wasn’t in the mood. He just got angry and punched me with his right hand.
“It was hard enough to break my nose.”
The woman then told the court how Stevenson punched her four times in the ribs after she threw an ashtray at him as she tried to leave.
The second incident, which took place on March 25, occurred only days after the woman returned to the home she shared with Stevenson after staying with her sister following the first assault.
She said: “I came back because I wanted to sort things out with him. We had been together for five years and I do love him. I thought I should go back and decide what we should do, and we both decided to give it another go.”
The court was told how Stevenson had been drinking when a row broke out because the woman said she was going to bed because she felt unwell.
Prosecuting, Samantha Lowther said: “She was in the bedroom getting undressed.
“He was getting very close, shouting in her face, when he headbutted her.”
She added Stevenson had also verbally abused his girlfriend, accusing her of having an affair, calling her names and threatening to kill her.
Mitigating, Mary McKenna said: “Mr Stevenson has consistently denied these allegations.”
Ms McKenna said the woman wrote a statement on May 14 withdrawing her allegations, saying she did not want to pursue the matter.”
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Your Say YourEcho
Horace Wimpole, Little Futtock says...
11:18am Fri 10 Jul 09
Violence. Sleeping on sofas. She's been with him since she was 17...
It's just such a beautiful tale isn't it? Who says romance is dead?
sav25, Leigh-on-Sea says...
12:48pm Fri 10 Jul 09
xSherryx, says...
2:37pm Fri 10 Jul 09
echoreader1, London says...
2:52pm Fri 10 Jul 09
xSherryx wrote:I agree, she seems to have put up with this for some time??
The sad thing is she will probably go back to him once he's out.
reddart, Leigh On Sea says...
7:20pm Fri 10 Jul 09
And 4 months...ooooo, that'll teach him won't it?
evilc, essex says...
10:30pm Fri 10 Jul 09
bumper, sorry its not my town or village says...
1:36am Sat 11 Jul 09
route66, Rayleigh says...
10:55am Sat 11 Jul 09
Tiger Rider, southend on-sea says...
1:59pm Sat 11 Jul 09
Tone-Fu, Southchurch says...
6:47am Tue 14 Jul 09
Horace Wimpole wrote:Eloquently put.
A booze-ridden 53 year old with a 22 year old girlfriend living in Station Road Westcliff.
Violence. Sleeping on sofas. She's been with him since she was 17...
It's just such a beautiful tale isn't it? Who says romance is dead?
Westcliff's the ghetto these days and this story just illustrates the depths of the depravity going on.
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ghostwriter, Southend on Sea says...
11:05am Fri 10 Jul 09