A young thug launched into a "frenzied" and prolonged beating of his girlfriend as she slept in her own bed.
Patrick Schofield, 19, attacked the victim, who the ECHO have chosen not to name, after sneakily trawling through her phone messages when she went to bed on January 14 this year. Distressing images of the victim's bloody and battered face were shown on TV screens in Liverpool Crown Court where Schofield, of East Albert Road, Sefton Park, appeared for sentence on Tuesday.
Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, told the court the pair had been in a relatively short relationship, but the victim said Schofield began to have issues with jealousy towards the end of 2021. Mr Baxter said: "The defendant was becoming more and more accusatory in respects of his beliefs about infidelity.
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"On January 11 this year the victim described an argument where he was accusing her of speaking to other lads on social media, including Snapchat and other messaging apps. He was unable to accept that she could have male friends."
The court heard Schofield attended her flat and smashed a window, before riding away on his bike, later calling her a "slag" over the phone.
However things calmed down and two days later the victim invited Schofield back to her flat. Initially, there were no problems and the pair drank together before she went to bed in the early hours of January 14.
However, Mr Baxter said: "It appears that temptation was too much for Mr Schofield and he took possession of her mobile phone, plainly invading her privacy by going through that phone.
"He then woke her up violently, shoving the phone in her face demanding to know why she had been communicating with other males. He then launched what can only be described as a frenzied assault on her, repeatedly punching her to her face, punching her to her body, while she was still in bed.
"She went into the foetal position and she says she blacked out and the next thing she recalled was the police arriving."
Mr Baxter displayed the distressing injuries on the court TV screens, which showed the victim with a black eye almost swollen shut, blood all over her face, a swollen and cut lip, as well as cuts and bruises to her neck and shoulder.
Mr Baxter said initially the victim tried to say she had caused the injuries to herself, but later confirmed she had been battered by Schofield, who was arrested at the scene.
The court heard Schofield had also "torn up" her flat, ransacking it and damaging furniture, mirrors and other items. Schofield was taken to custody where he said: "I didn't cause any physical injuries to her, them injuries were done by the time I got to the flat."
He thereafter refused to answer any questions. However, he later pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and two charges of criminal damage at the first opportunity in the magistrates' court.
Stuart Mills, defending, said his client had been spoken to by the Probation Service who produced "one of the longest pre-sentence reports I have ever seen".
Mr Mills said Schofield had experienced a traumatising childhood involving witnessing serious domestic violence - "seeing things he should never have to see" - which ended with him being placed into foster care. He said Schofield "hates himself" for what he has done and fears "history is repeating itself".
Recorder Ainsworth adjourned the case over lunch to consider whether to jail Schofield, telling the court he took the chance to read the pre-sentence report a second time. He said: "You're 19 years-of-age, you're a young man with no previous convictions but those two things, your age and absence of convictions, does not begin to deal with the complex story of your life so far.
"It is clear that you have had a very difficult childhood. It's clear from what I read you witnessed violence of the sort you were involved in on January 14 this year. You were placed in foster care and moved from placement to placement."
The judge said Schofield's history "does not begin to justify" the violence he inflicted on the victim, but said he believed work could be done to address his offending behaviour.
He said: "I make clear that this morning I thought it would be inevitable I would be sending you to detention today. Over the course of lunch I have read the pre sentence report, I have reflected on the submissions of Mr Mills and he has persuaded me to suspend the sentence."
Schofield was handed 12 months detention in a young offenders institute, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete a Building Better Relationships course, as well as 25 Rehabilitation Activity Days.
He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay the victim £400 in compensation. Judge Ainsworth imposed a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim for five years.
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