A violent bully barged into his ex-girlfriend's house and strangled her one month after he was arrested for attacking her in the middle of a supermarket cafe.
Adam Mulvihill, 34, attacked his ex-girlfriend in the middle of the West Kirby Morrisons cafe, hurling a pram and plates at her while she cradled her three-month-old baby, on April 7 2023. He grabbed hold of her and threatened "wait until we get home", headbutted her and pinched her leg "as hard as he could". He also threw food at the woman's five-year-old daughter, who bravely tried to come to her mother's rescue, and called her a "spoiled b****".
When a horrified waitress tried to break up the chaos, Mulvihill told her his victim "deserved it".
READ MORE: Care home where resident barricaded himself in room taken out of special measures
The dad-of-three, of Primrose Avenue, Claughton, was arrested and bailed - despite already being on bail for assaulting another former girlfriend on October 23 2022.
One month later, at 11pm on May 8, he turned up at his ex-girlfriend's house in a drunken rage and hammered on the door until she let him in.
At Liverpool Crown Court today, June 7, prosecutor Frances Wilmott said: "He pushed past (the woman) to pick up the baby. The woman was distressed; she was worried that harm would come to the baby. She could tell that her destress was angering the defendant and eventually managed to get the baby back in the cot.
"(The woman) said she was going to call his stepfather. As a result, the defendant stood up, approached (her) in the kitchen, placed one hand around her throat and squeezed, during which she thought 'he's going to kill me now'."
The court heard Mulvihill only stopped strangling his ex when she fell to the ground. He then went over to her TV and punched it twice, cracking the screen.
Ms Wilmott said: "He was swearing, being abusive, saying he would come back no matter what, and making threats that if she rang the police she would 'see what happened'."
He continued to check on the woman to prevent her calling 999, and she had to send a coded message to a friend in order to alert the police.
Mulvihill, a former Royal Marine, was first arrested on domestic abuse charges on October 23 last year, when he charged at another ex-girlfriend after she went to his house with sanitary towels for their 11-year-old daughter, who was staying with him.
Ms Wilmott said: "Her daughter said the defendant was drunk and 'acting weird'. (The woman) went to the address; the defendant called the 11-year-old daughter down, and was abusive to the daughter, saying there would be 'trouble' and calling her a c***."
When the girl's mother told him not to speak this way to their daughter, Mulvihill "ran the length of the driveway, charging at her with his fists clenched", and shouted "get the f*** away from my house!".
Ms Wilmott said: "This was all witnessed by the 11-year-old, who screaming at the defendant to leave her mother alone. She was crying and appeared scared."
The woman and her daughter left the scene after Mulvihill's stepfather was called, and they later contacted police. However, Mulvihill accused the woman of being "bitter because his new partner was pregnant" and denied being abusive and charging at her.
Six months later, he attacked the second woman in Morrisons cafe after she left a meeting in Hoylake due to him being drunk and "rowdy", and went onto attack her again the following month.
He pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, two counts of common assault, and criminal damage.
Andrew McInnes, defending, said: "The background appears to be increasing alcohol consumption since his discharge from the army. He had a distinguished army career, positive in all respects, but a medical discharge caused that increasing problem with alcohol.
"The defendant had sought help for these issues before these offences. He'd spoken to his GP about depression because of his back pain, and ways to recover from his alcohol consumption."
However the court heard he had continued to blame his former girlfriends for his abuse.
Judge David Swinnerton described Muvihill as behaving "like a bullying, spoiled child".
Of the first attack in October 2022, he said: "It was expressed that you were somebody who loves and cares for his children - not something that showed when you called your daughter a c*** on the driveway of that house that day. Not showed when you caused your daughter to cry and scream at you to leave her mother alone, because you charged at her with your fists clenched, shouting at her."
Describing the subsequent attacks, he said: "(The woman) was sitting with a baby on her knee, and you threw the pram across the cafe, threw a plate, behaved generally like a bullying, spoilt child. You shouted at her 'just wait until we get home'. The fact that you were in a public place didn't cause you to stop. You grabbed her arm, you were acting in a way that was intimidating towards her, you headbutted her, causing her to cry, and you then pinched the back of her leg as hard as you could."
Moving onto the incident of May 8, he said: "She let you in not because she wanted to, but because she feared you would break down the door anyway. What mother would want a drunk, aggressive, violent man to pick up her four-month-old baby? You did, though, pick up the baby, and she had to get involved in getting the baby off you.
"She threatened to call your stepfather. But you didn't like that. You put your hand around her throat and squeezed. You stopped not because you decided to, but because she fell to the floor."
He added: "People quite rightly hold Marines in deep respect because of what they do. But all of the respect that you earned as a Royal Marine is thrown away, because nobody respects those that use violence against their partners. Nobody respects those who abuse small children, or who use violence against mothers in front of their small children. You have thrown away all the good things you have done by behaving in this way."
He sentenced Mulvihill to a total of 21 months in prison, and handed down a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriends and children.
Mulvihill asked him "would you not consider a suspended sentence?"
He replied: "No... I have considered it, and I have rejected it."
Mulvihill went on to ask about requesting applying for a home detention curfew (TAG) which would allow him to serve his sentence outside of prison.
READ NEXT
Thug who punched pregnant girlfriend in the stomach walks free from court
