Shaking alcoholic begged Wakefield ex for booze before strangling her with both hands

Jamie Edmondson was physically shaking because of his withdrawal from alcohol, Leeds Crown Court was told.

The 32-year-old admitted a charge of intentional strangulation and appeared this week for sentencing. He is already serving a 42-month sentence imposed in November last year for attacking another woman that occured after the incident with his ex.

He was given an additional 12-month sentence to serve consecutively to the 42 months.

The court was told Edmondson and the woman had been a relationship for around 10 months, but which ended in February last year.

At around 5.30am on April 7, he rang the woman telling her he was having a panic attack and needed to hear her voice. After a conversation, she ended the call and continued to communicate through messages.

He turned up at her home on York Road in Wakefield a short time later, banging on the door, so she let him in. He was physically shaking, prosecutor Anna Chambers said.

Edmondson then went to the shop to buy vodka, which he drank but was sick outside the woman’s home. He then “begged” his ex for more alcohol to help him sleep.

She did and he fell asleep, but at around 10.40am she tried to wake him to ask him to leave. Unable to stir him, she moved his feet to try and sit him up, but he jumped up, told her to “get the f*** off me” and grabbed her by the throat with both hands.

He then slammed her into a wall and lifted her off the floor. Struggling to tell him to stop, she slapped him and fought with him to let go, which he eventually did.

Edmondson then claimed she had hit him first, and continued to refuse to leave. She called the police and by the time they arrived to arrest him he had calmed down.

During his police interview he gave no comments.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said that dreams for the incident “still haunt her”, that she had to take time off work, have counselling and had to move away from the address.

Edmondson, formerly of Foxcroft Mount, Kirkstall, has three previous convictions for six offences. He was jailed on November 21 last year after being convicted of two offences of intentional strangulation, ABH and criminal damage.

This was against another Wakefield woman and took place in June of last year. He appeared in court this week from HMP Wealstun, where he is serving his sentence.

The judge, Recorder Anthony Dunne, questioned why he was not sentenced for all matters in November, but no explanation was given.

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Mitigating, Lily Wildman said Edmondson was “struggling significantly” from mental health issues and alcoholism at the time.

She said Edmondson has borderline personality disorder, PTSD, anxiety and depression but was now medicated while in prison.

She said: “He has taken all the steps he possibly can of a situation he plainly put himself in.”

He is now on a drug-free wing, was “completely sober”, was an education mentor to other prisoners and was hoping to help others with drug and alcohol problems.

Recorder Dunne reduced his sentence to reflect his early guilty plea and to take into account totality. He but said the 12 months must be served consecutively to the 42 months.

He was also given an indefinite-length restraining order to keep him away from his ex.