A violent and drunken man strangled his pregnant girlfriend and pulled her by the hair after she attempted to leave his flat, a court heard. Joshua Platt, 32, had been out drinking and taking cocaine on the evening of June 6 last year when he returned to his flat in Chepstow where his partner, who was nine weeks pregnant, was staying.
Attack details
Due to his demeanour the victim said she did not feel well and said she wanted to leave. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the defendant told her to get out but when she started to get dressed he said he "wasn't done with her" and she wasn't going anywhere.
Platt pushed the victim and her stomach hit the door before she fell to the floor. As she got up he pulled her by the hair back down to the ground before standing over her and calling her a "fat b****". The defendant then strangled the victim by placing his hands around her neck and pinned her against the sofa. He did this three or four times lasting 20 seconds at a time.
Police call and arrest
He stopped after the victim pulled down a curtain to expose himself to the outside and she ran to the bathroom. During the attack the victim managed to call the police. Once on the line she left the call open so that the operator could hear what was going on. When the police arrived 28 minutes later the defendant had gone.
He later contacted his mother and told her the victim had called the police "over some petty stuff". He also told his mother that he had been vile towards his partner and "probably scared the s*** out of her". Platt, of Lady Margaret Court, Chepstow, was arrested and later convicted of intentional strangulation and assault by beating. The court heard he has a previous conviction for drink-driving.
Victim impact
In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Pamela Kaiga the victim said: "I felt physically sick and anxious. I could not cope with this feeling. I felt panicked about not knowing what to do if I saw Josh after a shift. I don't drive a car and would have to get the bus and I would look around in case I saw Josh.
"I've noticed his friends started to attend my workplace which made me feel overwhelmed and anxious so I had to leave that job because my mental health wasn't good and I worked myself up into a panic. I don't want Josh to know anything about my life and have any control over me anymore. What Josh did to me will stay with me for the rest of my life and will have an impact on my relationships."
The victim said she feels panicked when someone touches her neck even when she is having her hair cut. She added: "I don't want to see Josh ever again. I don't want to be around him, I don't want him to have control over me. I want to move on with my life now and have no anxiety about his whereabouts."
Sentence
In mitigation barrister Hilary Roberts said his client accepts his behaviour is affected when he's stressed and uses alcohol but since the offence he has stopped using drugs and has reduced his alcohol consumption. The court heard the defendant had a difficult childhood in which he witnessed domestic abuse.
Recorder Claire Pickthall sentenced Platt to 30 months imprisonment and made him subject to a five-year restraining order.
