Man spared jail for beating girlfriend went straight home and attacked her again | UK News

A man who was spared jail for abusing his ex-girlfriend went home and attacked her just hours later.

Jonathan Weaver, 33, received a suspended sentence for brandishing a hammer at the woman, spitting in her face, throwing a brick at her window, smashing her car windscreen and punching off her wing mirror.

Weaver, from Ebbw Vale in south Wales, already had convictions for violence against three former partners.

Presiding Justice John Jones sentenced Weaver at Newport magistrates court on October 6 to a 16-week prison term, suspended for 18 months so he could attend a ‘building better relationships’ course.

He did not put a restraining order in place because the victim did not request one.

Mr Jones warned him: ‘You need to be absolutely clear how close you went to custody today.

‘As acknowledged by your own solicitor, you are seen as a threat to women. Hopefully working with probation gets you off that path.’

But despite this Weaver attacked his victim again ‘within hours’ of being spared jail. He was intoxicated when he punched her in the face, kicked her while she was on the ground, and destroyed her phone and glasses.

Weaver, of Mount Pleasant Road, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assault by beating.

This time the magistrates imposed an immediate 26-week jail term and ordered Weaver to pay £725 in compensation to the victim. A two-year restraining order was also put in place.

In his previous sentencing, the court heard Weaver had a ‘history of more than a decade of violence towards women’ and that his latest victim was ‘petrified’ of him.

His 62 previous offences included attacks on two other ex-partners.

The latest victim had told police she had stayed in contact with Weaver ‘purely out of fear’, adding: ‘I am physically and mentally exhausted by this. When I first got with him I thought I could change his ways but obviously that is not the case.’

The previous hearing was told Weaver had been under police bail conditions barring him from contacting the woman, but he ignored them as he turned up to her home in August and told her he loved her.

She let him in but over the following days he committed a terrifying series of offences against her.

His solicitor Lynda Rhead said in the previous sentencing: ‘The pre-sentence report says he is a risk to females. Jonathan knows that.

‘The report is suggesting there may not be any remorse, but the best argument I can ever put forward to show remorse is guilty pleas. He straight away said to me: “I’m pleading guilty”.

‘But he said more to me than that. He realises his cocaine addiction had got out of control. He realises he has got to stop taking drugs.’

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