Teen who repeatedly beat girlfriend ordered to pay her £1,000 compensation as he avoids custody

The man, now 18, abused the teenager between December 2020 and August 2021, Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday.

Their relationship had started in 2020 but soon became abusive, prosecutor Harry Crowson told the court.

The defendant "started to be manipulative" towards his victim and called her "fat and stupid".

However, his behaviour quickly escalated to physical violence.

On the first occasion, the defendant grabbed her by both of her arms which left grip marks, the court heard.

In another incident, the victim had asked him if he was okay.

He responded by punching her in the arms and kicking her in the legs repeatedly.

The defendant told the victim if she wasn't quiet, he "would do it harder", the prosecutor told the court.

The majority of the abuse took place within a bedroom, the court heard.

The abuse continued last year and the victim recalled being pinned down by her neck to the bed before being punched in the head.

The defendant also became so enraged during another incident that he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall.

The teen blamed it on a "twitch", the court heard.

In July 2021, the victim "couldn't recall" the sheer number of assaults which took place, the court heard.

In August 2021, the defendant "shoulder barged" the victim in a Leeds shop.

She began crying and the incident was captured on CCTV at the shop, the court heard.

The abuse only ceased when the victim called police after suffering a panic attack following an assault in August 2021.

The pair are no longer together.

The defendant remained "remorseless" throughout his arrest and interview.

He pleaded not guilty to the offence of engaging in controlling and or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

He was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Magistrates' Court on June 20, 2022.

In her victim impact statement read out by Mr Crowson in court, the victim said the defendant had broken "who she was".

She said her biggest struggle has been overcoming the abuse to find who she was again.

"I have become isolated from my friends and family due to Justin's desire to keep me to himself", she said.

"The fear still lives inside of me."

The victim said she had suffered panic attacks since the abuse and couldn't be touched on certain places on her body where the defendant used to beat her.

"He broke who I was", she concluded.

The teen had no previous convictions, the court heard.

He "does not have a healthy sense of what a normal relationship should be like" after witnessing domestic violence as a child, the court was told.

He was bullied as a child and suffered from depression and anxiety as a teen.

The court was told he heard voices in his head, one telling him to hit the victim and another telling him not to.

Recorder Menary told the defendant his abuse was a "dreadful course of conduct" against the victim.

"You manipulated her," he said.

"That verbal abuse escalated and became physical."

Recorder Menary highlighted the fact some of the abuse took place in public.

He said the court had to consider the impact of the defendant's age on his offending.

"Those who are children do not have the emotional maturity that adults do", he continued.

"If you were in your 30s or 40s the guidelines would be applied and the sentence would be immediate."

The defendant was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

"The road ahead of you is going to be rocky", the Recorder continued.

"If you persist in your lack of insight and remorse and lack of acceptance, the order I am about to impose will be very difficult for you.

"If you commit any further offence in the next 18 months you and I will meet again.

"I make you this promise, you will go straight out that back door [of the dock to the cells], do you understand?"

Concluding the hearing, Recorder Menary ordered the teen to pay £1,000 in compensation to the victim, at a rate of £100 a month.

He told the defendant the compensation was "not designed to put any value" on the abuse his victim had suffered.

"You will compensate her for all the things you did to her", Recorder Menary added.

"It is a token sum of money, there is no gesture to mitigate [what you did to] her."

He was also ordered to do 20 rehabilitation days and 200 hours of community service.