A man who laughed while strangling his girlfriend during a series of attacks has been told he could have killed her. Lewis Bews, 25, admitted intentional strangulation, three charges of assault and one of assault by beating at Newcastle Crown Court.
The couple moved in together within two months of meeting in 2024, and the violence left the victim traumatised and "scared of what he is capable of", the court heard.
Series of attacks
During one row in July 2024, Bews punched the victim to the head and then strangled her. Prosecutor Shada Mellor said: "She said she was struggling to breathe and feared she would lose consciousness. He was strangling her for 25 to 30 seconds and she said he was laughing while doing so."
A week later, Bews pushed the woman to the floor, dragged her from one room to another and punched her in the stomach so hard that she vomited. A month after that, he attacked her while she was driving.
Miss Mellor said: "The defendant grabbed her thigh and squeezed it hard and then picked up her telephone and smacked it off her face." When they got home, he bit her left cheek so hard she feared it would "rip her skin off".
Court hears of impact
In November 2024, Bews punched the woman in the face while she was asleep on the sofa. Days later, he dug his nails into her legs, grabbed her stomach, called her a "******* state" and spat in her face. When she began packing her bags to leave, he punched her in the face.
In an impact statement, the victim said she felt unsafe and even considered leaving the country because of fear.
Judge Tim Gittins said strangulation is "extremely dangerous" and told Bews: "Without realising, you could have caused brain damage, you could have killed her and you were laughing while you did it."
Sentence
Judge Gittins noted that Bews had been in no trouble before or since, had handed in character references, and was still a young man with a prospect of rehabilitation. Bews, of Hylton Terrace, Chester le Street, County Durham, was sentenced to three years, suspended for three years, with probation and programme requirements, 150 hours of unpaid work and £1,000 compensation.
Jordan Parkinson, defending, said Bews knows there is "no excuse" and added: "He's appalled and ashamed at how he conducted himself." Miss Parkinson said Bews is in another relationship where there have been no issues, is in good employment, and has been in fear at the thought of going to prison.
