Crack cocaine addict who attacked ex-partner in her own home in Leeds is jailed

Jealous thug Richard Baldwin repeatedly punched the woman in the face and kicked her eight or nine times while she was on the floor of her home in Gipton, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Baldwin, 33, was jailed for 22 months after he admitted the assault in August.

Leeds Festival drug dealer caught with cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine avoids immediate jail

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said the woman ended the couple's 10-month relationship in July after he returned to using crack cocaine.

Mr Sharp said: "He did not take it well and formed the view she was seeing someone else."

Leeds Crown Court heard Baldwin went to the woman's house on August 4 after finding out that she had got home late the previous evening.

Baldwin wrestled her phone out of her hand, smashing the screen.

Six days later, Baldwin turned up at the house and she took pity on him and let him inside.

Mr Sharp said Baldwin told the woman to retract the statement she had given police about the previous incident and she refused.

After smoking crack cocaine in the early hours of the morning, Baldwin demanded she tell police she lied in her statement.

Armley prisoner had mobile phone between his buttocks on first day of sentence

He hit her repeatedly in the face, knocked her to the ground, kicked her between eight and nine times in the back and leg and 'pummelled' her to the top of her head.

The court heard the woman was too terrified to leave the house and one of her children raised the alarm when they returned home the following afternoon.

The victim's dad came to the house and smashed a window to get in but the defendant ran off.

She was left bleeding from her nose with swelling around her right ear, a cut nose and lip, bruising to right leg and lumps on her scalp.

Eight days later, he returned to the house and again demanded that she change her statement.

He fell asleep on the sofa and police arrested him the following morning.

Mr Sharp said there had been 27 police call-outs in relation to five of his previous partners, showing a pattern of abusive behaviour towards his partners.

Baldwin admitted criminal damage, assault causing actual bodily harm and two charges of of witness intimidation.

He has 12 previous convictions for 20 offences.

Pupils from Leeds school approached by 'man with knife'

Michael Walsh, mitigating, said the relationship is over, there is no prospect of reconciliation and the defendant plans on moving in with his mother in Ramshead Approach in Seacroft when he is out of prison.

Jailing Baldwin for 22 months, Judge Robin Mairs said: "This was a determined and persistent attempt to get the witness to retract her statement. It was backed up with violence."

Baldwin was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order, banning him from contacting the woman.