Knighton farm labourer jailed after an attack left woman fearing for her life and bruising to her lungs

A Knighton man who repeatedly stamped on his estranged wife leaving her with bruised lungs and other injuries, has been jailed for 22 months.

Darren Lewis, 52, had denied intentional strangling and assaulting his victim occasioning actual bodily harm on December 17 2024.

The farm labourer was found guilty after trial of assault but he was acquitted of the intentional strangulation.

Lewis of Church Street, Knighton, was sentenced by His Honour Judge Wayne Beard at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday.

The court was told the woman was pushed to the floor, hitting the back of her head before Lewis stamped on her chest and torso, and then he grabbed her hair and pulled the victim upright during a prolonged drunken attack that left her believing she 'would not come out of the ordeal alive'.

There was screaming and concerned neighbours rang the police, one neighbour described hearing a female screaming and another said they were so concerned they feared for her life.

The victim suffered a range of injuries including tenderness to the back of the head, abrasions and bruises to the neck, chest, hand, forearm and other soft tissue injuries and a CT scan showed bruising to the lungs.

The court heard the victim has recovered without the need for on-going treatment.

Prosecuting, Ms Alycia Carpanini read out a personal victim statement to the court.

She said the victim says the assault has left a profound emotional toll, leaving feelings of confusion, sadness and a great deal of loss.

“I went into marriage totally believing it was for life.

“I felt that I would not be coming out of the ordeal alive.”

She said she has recurring nightmares, dreads going to sleep and at one point during the attack did not feel they would come out of it and lay on the floor saying goodbye to family members.

The victim thanked the people to contacted the police that night.

She said: “I thank the people who rang the police because the outcome may have been different that night.”

The court was told Lewis has six convictions including for affray in 2002, several cautions, battery on an ex partner in 2023 and he was subject to a suspended sentence order for possession of a bladed article when he committed this offence.

Mitigating, Mr Alex Greenwood said Lewis is a farm labourer and he uses a knife for work and he took it to a pub and he was searched and he was prosecuted for having it in a public place.

He said the assault matter happened three months after the suspended sentence order was imposed.

Mr Greenwood said on the night in question there had been an altercation with the victim, who had both been drinking, and Lewis went to his home. The victim then went to his home and another altercation took place.

He said the woman tore up photographs of Lewis and his brother, who had died months before, and that was admitted.

Mr Greenwood said Lewis shouted for the complainant to leave his house and he did use too much force to try and make that happen.

He said the force used was significant and it is a serious matter.

But he said the destruction of other precious family photographs and vinyl records, as seen by the police, should also be taken into account.

Mr Greenwood said Lewis has worked as a farm labourer for his employer for years and they provided a glowing reference for him, but Lewis clearly has issues with alcohol which need addressing.

Judge Wayne Beard told Lewis the injuries suffered by the victim demonstrated 'the force you must have used during that assault.”

He said the pyschological effects of the assault were also significant

Judge Beard said: “This was not a momentary loss of temper involving a single blow, these were repeated acts of violence in a domestic setting against someone who was an intimate partner.

“You continued to deny responsibility for the offence and said you were acting to remove the complainant from your home and any injuries resulted from that. You continued to view youself as a victim of the incident.”

Judge Beard passed a sentence of one year and eight months in prison for the assault and he re-sentenced him for the knife possession, giving him a sentence of two months in prison to run consecutively.

So the total sentence is of 22 months in prison.

He will have to pay a £187 victim surcharge within three months of release and a restraining order is in place banning Lewis from contacting the victim for five years.