Cold-blooded crack addict given 27-year sentence for trying to murder girlfriend on Wakefield street
A cold-blooded crack addict who tried to kill his girlfriend on a Wakefield street, stopped to have a cigarette before continuing to repeatedly punch, kick and stamp on her as she lay unconscious.
The woman had to be put in a coma following the horror assault meted out by Benjamin Swindells.
The 30-year-old, who was found guilty of attempted murder during a trial at Leeds Crown Court, was brought back before the courts this morning where he was handed a 27-year extended sentence.
Judge Howard Crowson told him due to the severity of the attack he regarded him as a “dangerous offender”.
Swindells initially claimed two men attacked them as they made their way home just after midnight on April 13.
But the court was told that neighbours watched in horror as Swindells dished out a savage beating as she lay unconscious on the pavement outside the Tesco Express store on Barnsley Road.
The neighbour who had first contacted police said he witnessed Swindells “repeatedly” aim full-blown kicks towards the lifeless woman’s head and scream at her to get up.
He said he saw him rip her top from her body and was she covered in blood.
Body-worn camera footage from the arriving police showed a hysterical Swindells clinging on to his unconscious partner. He refused to let go of her and had to be prised away.
On the footage he could be heard screaming: “Are you alright baby? I will do anything to protect you baby girl.”
He is then heard to say: “She’s the love of my life. I will protect you with my life.”
Held on the floor by officers, he is heard to shout towards an officer “just kill me” and crying, saying: “I have had enough of this life.”
He was also heard repeatedly shouting that he had served in Afghanistan.
The victim was put into a coma in hospital. Video evidence she later gave to police was also played for the jury.
On the video, her eye and head could still be seen heavily swollen. She said she had known Swindells for around 14 years but they had only been together around a year.
She said he smoked crack cocaine “every day” and would ask her to borrow money from people so he could buy the drug.
She said he would become paranoid, changing her passwords to her social media accounts and controlling whom she could be in contact with. She said he would also call her a “cheating b****”.
In the months before Christmas last year, she said he attacked her with a small pair of scissors he would use to clean his crack pipe, stabbing her in the throat. The woman also said he “cracked” her in the eye on another occasion.
Swindells initially claimed he could remember nothing about the attack in April and said he was convinced they had been attacked by others, until he heard the 999 calls from members of the public. He then accepted he was “in denial”.
He accepted causing GBH with intent, but continued to deny attempted murder.
Giving evidence during the trial, Swindells, of no fixed address, said: “She did not deserve this. She did not deserve any of it...I was supposed to be her protector, instead I became a perpetrator.”
His extended sentence is made up of 23 years’ jail, for which he must serve at least two-thirds before being considered for parole, and a four-year extended licence period.
Acting Detective Sergeant Andrew Jones, of Wakefield District Domestic Abuse Unit, said: “This was a sustained attack on a female victim which continued as she lay unconscious on the floor. Swindells initially tried to blame others for the assault but has since admitted causing these horrific injuries.
“The consequences of this assault could easily have been much worse given the repeated blows to the victim’s head. She spent over a week in hospital and eight months on, the victim is left with physical and psychological damage from this attack. I hope the conclusion of this court case helps her in her ongoing processing and recovery from this incident.
“Swindells is a dangerous individual who has demonstrated that he is willing to use extreme violence in a domestic relationship. He is now behind bars for his actions.
“We are committed to protecting women and girls from violence and the fear of violence and would urge anyone who is either the victim of domestic abuse themselves or who has concerns for others to please report it.”