A woman who lost consciousness during an assault by her former partner has said she thought he was going to kill her. Liam Lloyd, 26, of Elizabeth Diamond Gardens, South Shields, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court.
Attack at her home
The woman and Lloyd had been dating between August and December 2023. In March 2024, he went to her home late one night. She let him in, but they ended up having an argument and he grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the floor, causing her to bang her head and lose consciousness.
She woke up in the early hours of the following morning and was vomiting, the court heard. Lloyd left around 6.30am, and the woman told her mother about the attack, and police were called. When the mother arrived, the victim was visibly upset, had bruising to her neck and eyes, and said she felt sick.
Hospital treatment and victim impact
An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital. The court heard the woman had sent a message to a friend saying Lloyd had assaulted her and she thought she might die.
In a victim impact statement, she said: "This incident left me feeing very afraid to the point I thought I was not going to be here any more. If he is not stopped he could end up killing someone. It left me feeling physically unwell and vulnerable."
She added: "I thought he was going to kill me. I asked him to take care of my daughter because I didn't think I would wake up. My friend has noticed I've lost my sparkle. I regularly have nightmares and flashbacks about what happened."
Sentence
Lloyd, who has seven previous convictions including battery and possessing a knife, was sentenced to nine months suspended for 15 months with 100 hours of unpaid work and a mental health treatment requirement. He was also given a ten-year restraining order.
Fiona Lamb, defending, said the assault was short-lived and added that Lloyd is remorseful and didn't intend for her to be injured to the extent she was. The court heard his mental health has since improved, he is in a new relationship, and has had a period of employment and is looking for more work.
