A dad violently attacked his girlfriend before he threatened to kill police while armed with a potato peeler.
James Mason breached a restraining order when he rekindled a relationship with his partner and then went on to punch her multiple times after jumping on top of her. When concerned neighbours called the police, the 25-year-old then "barricaded" himself in a room and armed himself with a potato peeler, before making threats to kill and stab police officers.
Mason, of Dowling Avenue, Whitley Bay, appeared at Newcastle's Moot Hall on Friday to be sentenced for assault by beating, breaching a restraining order and a public order offence. He had admitted the offences.
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The court was told that Mason and the woman had been in a relationship for around two and a half years and had a child together. However, the relationship ended after Mason committed battery and criminal damage offences against the woman and a two year restraining order was imposed in August 2021, banning him from having contact with her. But despite the restraining order, the pair resumed their relationship in 2022.
Omar Ahmad, prosecuting, said: "On August 24 2022, the pair went to a shop to get alcohol and returned to her Shiremoor address. Whilst at the address, they argued and the defendant got angry after she had been speaking to a friend.
"He assaulted her, knocking her drink out of her hand, and then jumped on top of her before punching her five or six times."
Mr Ahmad said that during the attack, Mason was "verbally berating" the woman, saying she was "always playing the victim". The woman then attempted to escape, but he "dragged her back" and pushed her to the ground.
Concerned neighbours who had heard the commotion then called the police, with Mason "barricading himself in a room". Mr Ahmad added: "Police arrived and the defendant shouted out of the window while holding a potato peeler. He was shouting 'I'll kill you,' 'I'll stab you,' and said he had a machete on him. Police then forced entry and arrested him."
The court heard the woman sustained bruising and swelling to her face as a result of Mason's attack. In a victim statement, she said she was terrified that Mason was going to kill her and is "worried in case he comes back".
Mason, who is unemployed, had 13 previous convictions for 17 offences. Most recently he was fined in February this year for being drunk and disorderly. The court heard that he was also the subject of a restraining order against his own grandmother after he caused damage to her home.
Andrew Walker, defending, said that Mason still has contact with his child and that he and the woman can "proceed amicably" via an intermediary. He said: "He has a reasonable work history, which involved short term employment, but he is not currently in work. The root cause of all of his offending is the fact that when he drinks, for whatever reason, he can behave very badly and loses self-control." Mr Walker added that Mason is taking steps towards addressing his alcohol use.
Assistant Judge Advocate General, Adam Smith, jailed Mason for eight months and imposed an indefinite restraining order.
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