'Only jail will do' for Shropshire man who fractured former partner's nose with drawer
The court heard that alcohol had been a “long-standing” issue for the defendant
A man who left his ex-partner with a fractured nose has been locked up.
David Groves, 37, of Fullwood Court, Ellesmere, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown court having been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The court was told the incident dated back to October 7, 2023, when both Groves and his victim had been drinking.
Alexa Carrier, prosecuting, said that Groves’s former partner had returned to her home in Ellesmere after drinking in a local pub to find him asleep in her bed.
She had asked what he was doing and told him to leave. He directed verbal abuse towards her then went to the toilet.
Ms Carrier said that when he returned he was seen to be “coming for her with bulging eyes”.
The court was told the woman “pre-emptively” punched Groves out of fear he was about to attack him.
In the moments that followed the 37-year-old picked up a drawer and and threw it at his victim, hitting her in the face, opening up a large cut and fracturing her nose.
The court heard that the incident has had a long-term impact on the victim and left her anxious about going out.
Ms Carrier said Grove has five previous convictions for eight offences, including one against the same victim in 2015.
‘He would not have wished any harm upon her’
Mr Williams, mitigating on behalf of Groves, said he was sorry that that she had received the injury, and sorry she has a scar from the incident.
He said: “He says to me he loved her and he would not have wished any harm upon her.”
Mr Williams said there had been no offences committed since the 2023 incident and suggested that Groves could be safely managed in the community, rather than receiving an immediate prison sentence.
He added that Groves recognises alcohol has been a “long-standing issue”, and that he had taken steps to address his drinking.
The court was told that Groves, who came into court using crutches, suffers from spinal stenosis, which would impact any time in prison.
Mr Williams said: “In my submission the balance comes down in favour of a suspended sentence.”
Sentencing, Judge Trevor Meegan said Groves continues to maintain his innocence and believes he was wrongly convicted.
The judge said he had considered suspending any jail term, but told Groves: “It cannot be suspended for these reasons: first, the domestic context of the offence; second, the history of similar offending involving the same victim; third, the need for punishment; and fourth, I find there is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
Groves was jailed for 21 months and was made subject to a four-year restraining order barring him from contacting his victim.