Pregnant woman beaten up by ex for abortion vow

A FORMER prisoner repeatedly attacked his pregnant ex-partner on a weekday afternoon in a town centre.

Anthony Barrett, aged 32, of Kirby Street, Cobridge, grabbed the victim's hair, banged her head against a telephone box and kicked her while she was on the floor in Newcastle.

The woman, who was carrying Barrett's child, tried to escape by running into a nearby barbers shop.

But the offender, who was on bail at the time, followed her in and punched her on the back of the neck, causing her to fall on to the barber's chair.

Barrett took her purse out of her handbag and threw it on to the floor.

He then continued the assault out on the street in front of witnesses until a passer-by intervened and told him to stop.

Barrett pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and robbery and was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutor David Bennett said: "One witness saw the defendant push the complainant in the face and kick out towards her while she was on the floor. He kicked her to the rib area while she was on the floor.

"He dragged the complainant along the floor and hit out at her at the same time.

"One witness said he had never seen such a vicious attack on a person and he was very shocked.

"A police officer said the victim was hysterical after the event."

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the woman had been in a relationship with Barrett for four months which had proved "problematic" due to his use of alcohol and drugs.

The relationship had ended just before the attack.

On October 30, the woman encountered Barrett while waiting for a bus in Waterloo Road, Burslem, to go to a health centre in Wharf Street, Newcastle.

Mr Bennett said: "He told her he still cared for her and followed her on to the bus."

The court heard Barrett had recently been released from prison.

He had 27 previous convictions, including robbery at knife-point, commercial burglary and ABH.

Joanne Wallbanks, mitigating, said the defendant claimed the victim had told Barrett she was considering an abortion and there was nothing he could do to stop her.

She said that had put him in a "very distressed" emotional state.

The lawyer urged the judge to enrol Barrett on a programme to address his drug problem, rather than jail him.

She said: "We have someone here who is motivated to deal with his drug problem. He has not had the opportunity so far.

"After being told the woman was pregnant, he was very happy.

"But she told him she was going to have a termination no matter what he said, which was very hard for him.

"I understand the court's concern about her physical state at the time, but I ask the court to consider his emotional state."

Judge Paul Glenn sentenced Barrett to 16 months in prison, taking into account the 91 days he had already spent in custody.

He said: "This was an unpleasant incident involving a prolonged assault on an ex-partner in the middle of Newcastle.

"It is an aggravating feature that she was carrying your child. It is also an aggravating feature that you were on bail and had only recently come out of prison."