Violent Leeds bully lost temper with judge who jailed him telling him 'just tell me my sentence'

David Carrasco was jailed for three years for a string of serious offences against his former partner that included threats to kill her. But he made the outburst when the judge, Recorder Tony Watkin, was addressing him towards the end of the 90-minute sentencing hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

Appearing via video link from HMP Leeds, Carrasco became visibly angry, got up to leave the hearing but then sat down again. He was muted by the court clerk but could be seen continuing to rant as Recorder Watkin proceeded with his sentencing remarks.

Addressing him, Recorder Watkin said: “You are a bully and engaged in behaviour of the gravest kind towards your partner and her family. You have a serious inability to control your anger.”

Prosecutor Benjamin Bell earlier told the court that 34-year-old Carrasco was in a relationship with the victim for around three years, but began to “exhibit strange behaviour” after about a year.

He banned her from having male friends on Facebook, and would send her messages telling her he “despised her” and hoped she “would get run over”. Audio messages from her phone were played to the court, with Carrasco screaming and ranting at her.

He would attack her, dragging her around by her hair, would grab her by the throat, and threaten to burn down her home with her family inside.

She eventually split from him in March of this year, but in April he turned up at her home after an argument about Facebook.

He kicked her front door so hard it broke the lock, put her kitchen windows through by punching one and throwing a breeze block through another, all the while telling her he would kill her. His victim’s mother was present and she took the couple’s young child and hid.

Despite his arrest, a police officer later said the terrified family “genuinely believed that he would return and kill them”.

During his police interview he admitted to losing his temper but said anything that he did towards his ex partner was “karma”.

Officers had to end the interview early because he became disruptive and ripped up police documents.

He later admitted coercive control, making threats to kill, sending malicious communications, criminal damage and a Section 39 assault.

Carrasco, of Broadlea Hill, Bramley, has 47 previous convictions for 83 offences, with many for violence. Mitigating, Laura Addy said: “He needs help, he wants help. He does not want to be in prison or before the courts again.

"He is his own worst enemy. A lot of his frustration comes out verbally and he can be very intimidating in the way he speaks. He recognises that he needs to resolve that and sort his behaviour out. He is remorseful for how the relationship has ended.”

Recorder Watkin gave Carrasco a 12-year restraining order to keep him away from the victim, her address and her family.