Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury man attacked his partner and sister in row over beer

A Shrewsbury man attacked his sister and his partner after being accused of preferring beer over them.

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Neil Michael Roger Gilbert subjected his partner to 10 blows to the head during the assault on July 25, Telford Magistrates Court was told.

Gilbert, of Crowmere Road, Shrewsbury, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating.

Ms Jenny Winzor, prosecuting, said Gilbert, 36, had "stormed off" after a row with his partner about how much he had been drinking.

The victim had later found the defendant on the steps of his mother's house where he had become involved in a row with his sister as the two women attempted to take his beers away from him.

Ms Winzor said that after his partner had commented "The beer is clearly more important than me and her", Gilbert had grabbed her by the hair and punched her in the head 10 times.

The court was told that Gilbert's criminal record pointed to a problem with alcohol, with two previous cautions for being drunk and disorderly.

Although his partner still wanted the relationship to continue, she wished to pursue the charge because Gilbert needed to address his alcohol issues, said Ms Winzor.

Mr Shaun Davies, for Gilbert, said his client had not played a game typical to domestic violence cases of pleading not guilty and waiting until a trial to see what would happen.

Mr Davies said Gilbert had pleaded guilty straight away and, although he could not recall the incident, he accepted that his partner was telling the truth.

He said that Gilbert, a roofer, had been suffering from depression and accepted that he had a problem with alcohol which he was "using as a coping mechanism to block things out".

Mr Davies added that the assault was "totally out of character".

Magistrates adjourned the sentencing until August 19 for the preparation of reports.

Gilbert was released on bail on conditional he did not to visit the victim but was allowed telephone contact.

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