A Widnes man who battered his girlfriend's dog with a hammer and filmed himself kicking the pet is facing jail after admitting controlling or coercive behaviour. Lewis Walker, 33, of Cherry Sutton in Widnes, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this week, where he pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour against his now former partner.
The charge stated that, between November 1 2019 and March 26 2026, he subjected his then girlfriend to assaults, locked her out of her property, damaged her belongings and subjected her to threatening behaviour, as well as "mistreating animals", thereby "causing her serious alarm or distress".
Abuse over more than five years
Walker had been due to go on trial on Monday accused of a total of 11 charges in relation to his ex-partner. These included allegations of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, making threats to kill, making threats with an offensive weapon in a private place, stalking, criminal damage and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by striking the victim's dog with a hammer.
Footage seen by the ECHO showed Walker videoing himself shouting at and repeatedly kicking his victim's dog while the pet yelped in pain on the floor. It is understood the dog has since been put down.
Plea accepted by prosecution
Oliver Saddington, prosecuting, indicated this guilty plea would be acceptable to the Crown Prosecution Service, with the allegations in the remaining offences to be encompassed "within the factual matrix" of the controlling behaviour count.
Defence counsel Paul Wood told the court: "I say for the record, that plea represents the entirety of the allegations against the defendant. I accept, and the defendant accepts through me, that this is a serious example which is very likely to fall in the top category of the sentencing guidelines. The issue will be length, rather than type of sentence."
Previous McDonald's robbery
Walker, sporting a tattoo on the right hand side of his face, will be sentenced on September 28. He was further remanded into custody until this date. He gave a thumbs up to the public gallery as he was led to the cells while his supporters told him "love you Lew", "love you bro" and "love you babe".
Adjourning the case, Recorder Nicola Daley told him: "I am going to adjourn sentence. There is no application in relation to you, and so you will be remanded into custody until September 28. All sentencing options will remain open. Your barrister has already indicated to me that you are alive to the likely nature of the sentence. The decision on the next occasion will be what length that sentence ought to be. You will be given appropriate credit for the fact that you have pleaded guilty today."
This is likely to result in a further spell behind bars for Walker, who the ECHO previously reported was jailed in 2014 over a terrifying raid at McDonald's on New Mersey Shopping Park in Speke. This saw the then 21-year-old walk into the premises with an unidentified accomplice days before Christmas 2013 and smash a hammer into the countertop before punching two members of staff.
Frightened customers were said to have bolted for the door as the incident unfolded, with a masked Walker having walked around towards the tills before attacking the men. One was left with a chipped tooth after having his face bounced off the drive-thru counter.
Walker, then of Harefield Road in Speke, handed over the majority of the £906 in takings which was stolen to his fellow robber, but stuffed £115 in cash into his own coat before fleeing. However, once outside, he was taken to the ground by security. He still attempted to limp away but was pinned to the floor by guards and a member of the public.
Having been detained, former soldier Walker pleaded: "I used to be in the army and I can't get work. I’m desperate. I know I shouldn't have done what I done."
Walker, who already had one previous conviction for inflicting grievous bodily harm and had only been out of prison for a month at the time of the incident, later pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. He was jailed for a total of four years and handed an extended licence period of three months.
Sentencing him on this occasion, Judge Norman Wright told Walker: "This was a robbery which took place at McDonald's which, from the CCTV which I have seen and from witness statements I have read, must have been truly terrifying. Members of the public, including large sections of children, go to McDonald's expecting to have an enjoyable time, a meal out that's affordable, and they were confronted by two men in their own way who were masked, appearances disguised, wearing gloves with weapons. Violence was wrought on two employees in what I have described already to be in a gratuitous way in order to terrorise and frighten staff so they would be compliant with your demands for money. You are a dangerous individual."
