A burglar who broke into a Greggs bakery punched and strangled his former partner days after he was released from prison. He hit her so hard she fell back and hit her head on a coffee table.
Gary Matthews, 35, burgled a Greggs shop in Tredegar overnight on September 29 and 30, stealing £50 from charity boxes. He was caught escaping from the shop on CCTV.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Matthews had been in a relationship with a woman for two years but that came to an end in July 2021. But upon being released from prison the defendant tracked down the his vulnerable former partner after she changed addresses to avoid him.
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On April 22 this year Matthews saw the victim in Ebbw Vale town centre. He said he knew where she lived and pestered her to let him accompany her around town. By the early hours of April 24 they were both at the victim's flat and were drinking heavily when he committed what prosecutor Steven Donoghue described as a "sustained assault".
The barrister said: "The defendant at some point became annoyed and was strangling the complainant with his arm around her neck. He was pinning her against the wall trying to smother her mouth and bit her neck. He said: 'I’ll put you in a box and cover it in water'."
Matthews' brother arrived at the flat momentarily but left as the defendant continued to assault his former partner. Mr Donoghue continued: "The defendant punched her to the head which caused her to spin round and hit her head on a coffee table. She lay on the floor with blood on her face and the defendant said: 'I’m going to go down for five years for this.'
"As she got up the defendant was sat on the sofa. He came towards her and punched her in the face again. She fell backwards to the floor and the defendant got on top of her and was choking her. The complainant was screaming for help but the defendant smothered her again by covering her mouth."
Eventually the victim managed to run into the street and banged on a neighbour's door who took her in and called the police. Matthews left but after the victim was taken to hospital, he returned to the flat before smashing a window and falling asleep on the sofa. Police came to the flat at 9.30am and arrested the defendant. He told police: "She fell, the stupid c***" and denied assaulting her. The victim was treated for two wound to her head which required stitches
Matthews, of Park Hotel, Station Road, Ebbw Vale, later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, burglary, and criminal damage. The court heard he had previous convictions for domestic abuse.
In mitigation Jeffrey Jones said his client had formerly been a heroin user but had not touched the drug for two years. He said the defendant had been drinking alcohol at the time of the assault.
The Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, sentenced Matthews to a total of two years and seven months imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order.
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