Paranoid cocaine-fuelled Leeds thug who rained punches down on girlfriend is jailed
A paranoid boyfriend who accused his girlfriend of cheating on him while he went to the toilet then “lost it” by punching her repeatedly with both fists.
Callum O’Brien was jailed for what the judge at Leeds Crown Court described as a “horrible and violent attack”.
He was initially charged with GBH but he admitted the lesser charge of ABH, which was accepted by the Crown.
The court heard that O’Brien, who was only convicted of harassment of another partner just months before, had been out drinking in an Armley pub with his new girlfriend on the night of October 19 last year.
They then went back to O’Brien’s address where they continued to drink and take cocaine, along with O’Brien’s housemate.
Prosecutor Louise Pryke told the court that O’Brien then went to the toilet and on his return accused the woman of kissing his housemate.
The 28-year-old then forced her into a corner and began punching her and calling her a “s**g” and a “s**t”. She feared he would not stop and the woman later said she felt her nose “pop”.
She was able to get away and run outside. Luckily, two police officers were nearby. She passed out twice while talking to them and was eventually taken to hospital by ambulance.
It was not known if she had in fact broken her nose.
O’Brien, of Wharfedale Lawns, Wetherby, was arrested and interviewed but denied hitting her.
He later admitted the ABH charge. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
He has three previous convictions for four offences, including assault on an emergency worker and only last year was convicted of harassing his previous partner after he failed to adhere to a non-molestation order she took out against him.
The court heard that he sent so many messages to her, some of which were threats, they could not all be catalogued. He received a community order for that offence.
Mitigating for the most recent offence, Phillip Mahoney, said O’Brien had not been in prison before and it had been a “salutary” experience.
He said that any sentence could be suspended and that O’Brien had a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.
But Judge Simon Batiste told O’Brien: “For whatever reason, you completely lost it. This was a horrible, violent attack on your partner for little or no reason.
“Only an immediate custodial sentence could possibly be justified for this attack.”
He gave him 16 months’ jail. No restraining order was sought to keep him away from the victim.