Petrified woman forced to barricade herself in bedroom against thuggish Leeds boyfriend

Raheem Gaye had been in the relationship with the woman for around a year, with verbal altercations later giving way to physical assaults, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Matters came to a head in February when the police attended her address in Bramley after a third party could hear the pair fighting. But after police arrived, the woman reported numerous incidents dating back to last year.

On October 22, Gaye had turned up at her home where she was talking to her ex partner. Gaye became angry when he saw them, grabbed her and slammed her head into the door frame causing a cut to her eye and bruising, prosecutor Verity Barnes said.

On February 2 this year, Gaye again turned up at her home and immediately took her phone from her. When he was unable to get into the device, he threw it and smashed it. He then picked up a metal measuring tape and threw that at her, which she dodged, then threw a large wooden board which again, she was able to avoid.

He slapped her to the face and picked up a chair, hurling at her, catching her elbow. She tried to climb out of the window pursued by Gaye who got her back into the house and refused to let her leave. The neighbour called the police and he was arrested.

He was later bailed under strict orders not to contact the woman. But on March 4 he came to her home and let himself in. He tried to cuddle the woman but she pushed him away. He followed her upstairs, pushing her onto the bed. She tried to barricade herself in but he forced his way in.

When she tried to run from the house, he slammed her head into the gate. She went to the neighbour’s to raise the alarm after he had taken her phone. Again, he was arrested. He gave a no-comment police interview, then during a second interview said he was at her home to collect belongings but picked up her phone by accident.

Gaye, of Mistress lane, Armley, has three previous convictions for four offences, including an assault in 2014. He admitted two counts of ABH, an assault, criminal damage and theft of the phone. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand.

Mitigating, Ashleigh Metcalfe said his best points were his early guilty pleas, and that he had held his hands up from the beginning, accepting the case against him. She said he was in care as a youngster after his mother was jailed.

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She said: “He is still very immature in his relationships, there remains a lot of work to be done about his accountability.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC told Gaye: “It was someone you said you loved and still love. You decided to get into the habit of beating her. You took her head in your hand and slammed her face into a door frame.”

When Gaye tried to interrupt and tell the judge the head slam was an “accident”, Judge Stubbs snapped back: “None of this was an accident. All of this is because you can’t control yourself. She had to barricade herself into her bedroom - can you imagine how scared she was?”

But Judge Stubbs conceded that at Gaye’s age, he was uncertain if there was no prospect of rehabilitation and that custody should be a last resort. He opted to jail him for 20 months, but suspended it for two years. He also gave him 140 hours of unpaid work, and ordered him to undertake the Building Better Relationships domestic violence programme.