Woman's life 'ruined' by jealous ex and pal who attacked her with baseball bat in her Leeds home

Luke Portman and Josef Hall were both jailed this week for the “frightening” ordeal carried out on the woman, who has since had to move away due to the overwhelming trauma.

Portman, who had been in a relationship with the woman, dragged her naked out of bed in a fit of rage and later attacked her with the bat after breaking into her home. Hall then hurled a brick through her window and was seen brandishing a knife in the street “bare-chested”, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Portman, 24, admitted a affray, and was handed 19 months behind bars. Hall, 20, was found guilty of affray after a trial, and admitted possession on a knife in public, and was jailed for 30 months. Both were acquitted of aggravated burglary.

Judge Simon Phillips KC said: “The pair of you together subjected a vulnerable young woman to a terrifying use of unlawful violence. Shouting abuse and threats while she took refuge. It was entirely unprovoked. It was a premeditated attack.

"It was a frightening demonstration of threatened violence towards a defenceless young woman. She has become reclusive and had to move away as a consequence and has lost her employment. Her young life has been ruined.”

Prosecuting the case, Jessica Heggie said that Portman had gone to the woman’s address in Harehills on the morning of July 23 last year, claiming he wanted to collect clothes for their young son.

When he arrived, he climbed in through an open kitchen window. He then went upstairs and found his ex partner in bed, before dragging her out by her ankles.

He was “angrily and jealously” shouting and screaming and looking for a man which he claimed she had been seeing. She denied anyone else was present.

Picking up a baseball bat from the house, he then left and and returned with Hall and a third male. This time he smashed the bedroom door in where she was hiding, kicking it off its hinges and shouting that he had a knife.

He then hit her at least twice with the baseball bat to her stomach. Hall, who was seen carrying the large carving knife, put the window through.

Portman, of Arthington View, Hunslet later claimed he found the woman in bed with another man, and used the baseball bat to “scare him away”, but claimed there was no physical contact with the woman. However, his version of events was rejected by Judge Phillips.

Mitigating for Portman, Katherine Robinson acknowledged the differing account put forward but said: “He accepts what he did was wholly inappropriate.” She said he now wants to rebuild his relationship with his son.

He has one previous conviction for aggravated vehicle taking.

Hall, of Nowell Lane, Harehills has four previous convictions, including a suspended sentence from last year for drug dealing, for which he was in breach for the latest offences.

Mitigating for Hall, Andrew Petterson said he was a hard worker and was wanting to work once he is released.

A restraining order of indefinite length was put in place to keep the defendants away from the victim.