Battered girlfriend hid in rabbit hutch: Longton man Michael McGraw jailed for violent assault
JEALOUS Michael McGraw has been jailed after he subjected his partner to two violent assaults.
The 42-year-old battered Sarah Wells until she was 'black and blue' after accusing her of using his phone to call another man.
-
She was so terrified, when she escaped, she hid in a rabbit hutch and called the police.
While on bail for that assault, McGraw attacked Miss Wells again, leaving her with a hairline fracture to her jaw.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Wednesday, May 22 2013
Prosecutor Fiona Cortese yesterday told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, McGraw and Miss Wells started seeing each other at Christmas 2011.
But on June 20 last year, when she was staying at his house, McGraw could not find his mobile phone. When it turned up he saw calls had been made to a male friend and someone in Leeds.
Miss Cortese said: "He accused her of calling these people. She said she was not responsible and he lost his temper. Before she got out of bed he punched her three or four times to her face. She cried and begged him to stop.
"Downstairs he pushed and slapped her, verbally threatened her, kicked her thigh and grabbed her arms. That behaviour went on for two hours. She was petrified and crying."
McGraw marched Miss Wells to a friend's house. But the victim saw that as her chance to escape and ran away.
Miss Cortese said: "She hid in a rabbit hutch and called the police. She stayed there until officers arrived. She added: "She had bruising to her face and cuts and bruising to her arms, legs and thighs."
Miss Wells left her house at 4pm on September 10 to go to the Post Office when she saw the defendant who was a passenger in a car. He shouted at her to get in.
Miss Cortese said Miss Wells was scared and got in the car. She was punched several times to the face.
"They were dropped off at his home address. She was too scared to leave. The following afternoon the police attended and she had an injury to her eye. She told police she sustained injuries from a fall but at the police station she said the defendant assaulted her."
Miss Wells was left with a fracture through the bone of her left hearing canal. She also had bruising to her face, back and arms.
McGraw, of Rochester Road, Longton, who has previous convictions for assaulting partners, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, conceded there was a jealous and controlling side to McGraw but said he was also a caring and loving father.
He added that McGraw began a relationship with Miss Wells very shortly after his previous relationship broke down and his mum passed away.
Judge Paul Glenn sentenced McGraw to 32 weeks for the first assault and 18 months, to run consecutively, for the second. The defendant was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order preventing him having any contact with Miss Wells.
Judge Glenn said: "You remain a jealous and controlling man in the context of relationships you form."
17 Comments
View all
by DoctorDo
Sunday, March 03 2013, 5:06PM
“@Teenybopper
If he's innocent then why did he plead guilty? A good barrister would soon have exposed her if she was telling lies.
Why did he stay with her if she's such a bad person? The correct thing to do would have been to dump her. There's never an excuse for violence in a relationship.”
by valeforever
Friday, March 01 2013, 4:06PM
“By Teenybopper
So are you saying he has not got a history of violence towards previous partners then. All this has just been made up by Sarah?”
by Teenybopper
Friday, March 01 2013, 3:05PM
“For all you people commenting on here you need to get your facts right. Sarah is a compulsive liar, druggie, drinker and a prostitute. Most of the time she's so out of it she doesn't know what she's saying. In the past there are at least 2 other men she claims have beaten her when they've never laid a finger on her. Michael the so called "scumbag" took her in and gave her a place to live comfortably. Anyone who knows Michael knows that he is a loving father who would do anything for his family unlike her whose ex-partner has full custody of her children because she is an unfit mother. She lied and cheated with his friends to provoke him. She calims she was too afraid to leave him but at one point she did leave and M ichael wasn't bothered. She was th one who came back to him telling everybody how m uch she loved him and wanted to be with him. She also visited him in prison while he was on remand. Are those the actions of a terrified woman? I don't think so.As for hiding in a rabbit hutch what a load of rubbish. I'd like to see a grown person fit into a rabbit hutch. So get your facts right people she is a no good liar.”
by gray100
Friday, March 01 2013, 7:48AM
“by Wjbee55
Thursday, February 28 2013, 11:14AM
"If he's got a history of violence towards partners why on earth is this scumbag still on the streets?"--------- More to the point why do women even take up a relationship with rubbish like this man. And yes he should be branded with woman beater on his forehead in large capital letters perhaps if he had been branded like that then his partner would not have come within a mile of him what a sub human being he is.”
by DoctorDo
Thursday, February 28 2013, 8:00PM
“Oddsock, he got 32 weeks for one assault plus 18 months for the other making a total of 26 months. Still not long enough in my opinion.
Men like him should have their face branded with the words 'WOMAN BEATER' so that any other women they meet can steer clear of them.”
by Killuminati
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:32PM
“Can someone confirm to me please is this that pipe that used to live on saint marys road? if so hes not the brightest spark by a long shot,he used to sell fags and he had a price list in his front window!!!”
by smilerjamie
Thursday, February 28 2013, 6:17PM
“animal.i hope he gets his teeth kicked in when he's in jail.give him a few good hidings,see how he likes it”
by OddSock
Thursday, February 28 2013, 5:46PM
“32 weeks out in half that time, what a perverse sentence indeed, broken britain..broken nation..a broken society r.i.p uk ....more rights if your a terrorist that a fact do gooders respond with your normal drabble...”
by spudder56
Thursday, February 28 2013, 2:24PM
“by roob57Thursday, February 28 2013, 12:09PM
"Its amazing the rubbish defense lawers can spout, most folk from the Sandford Hill area know what this family is about."
Correct mate as for the defence lawyer they always say what pays the most money they are without any shame whatsoever and guess who foots the bill for both the defendant and the defence lawyer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OINK OINK snouts in the trough of legal aid
Read more: http://tinyurl.com/c67er3m
Follow us: @thisisstaffs on Twitter | thisisstaffordshire on Facebook”
by bexhillpotter
Thursday, February 28 2013, 12:37PM
“Hardman my ****, he'll get his comeuppance one day. There's always someone harder waiting for a chance. What a coward this prat is, hitting women!”