A man has been spared prison after he forced his way into the flat where his ex-girlfriend was living and attacked another man.
Leslie Wills, 49, grabbed Marcus Clowes and punched and headbutted him, Lewes Crown Court was told today (Thursday 14 December).
As Wills learnt that he would not be going straight to prison, Judge Stephen Mooney told him: “You’re a lucky man.”
Judge Mooney ordered Wills to pay £500 compensation to Mr Clowes for the attack which left him with visible injuries to his face.
Mark Shilliday, prosecuting, said that the attack happened after Wills went to the home of Anna Del Campo Boan, in Lawrence Road, Hove, in June last year.
Wills had previously had a brief relationship with her and, Mr Shilliday said, forced his way in to the flat where he found Mr Clowes and attacked him.
When Mr Clowes went downstairs to try to call the police, Wills followed him and attacked him again, the court was told.
Mr Shilliday said that Wills had previously been jailed for violence and had a number of relevant convictions stretching back more than 20 years.
When Wills attacked Mr Clowes, he breached a suspended sentence order for a similar offence, the court was told.
The order – four months in prison, suspended for 18 months – has since expired but it was imposed by Judge Jeremy Gold at Hove Crown Court in July 2021.
On that occasion, the Hove court was told that Wills invited his then partner Jacqui Boucher to live with him at his flat in Lawrence Road when the first coronavirus lockdown started.
But less than a month later, they had a drunken argument and Wills drenched her with a supersoaker water pistol then kicked her in the head, causing her a perforated ear drum.
As well as a suspended prison sentence, Judge Gold ordered Wills to carry out 25 days of rehabilitation activity and pay Ms Boucher £500 compensation.
Today, the court was told that – at an earlier hearing – Wills had admitted forcing his way into the flat last June and assaulting Mr Clowes and causing him actual bodily harm (ABH).
At that hearing, at Hove Crown Court last month, Christopher Prior, defending, said that Wills had been “in the midst of a substance and mental health crisis” and was being treated in a residential placement.
Today, Aphra Bruce-Jones, defending, said that Wills had made good progress in staying off alcohol.
Judge Mooney said: “You’re a bit of a menace. You have a tendency to violence which is worrying.
“This was an offence born of jealousy. You had had a short-lived relationship in lockdown and that had come to an end.”
The judge said that he was pleased to learn that Wills appeared to be addressing his addiction problems.
He was mindful of his duty to protect the public but felt that if Wills could complete his treatment and stay off drink, he might be more likely to be properly rehabilitated.
The judge ordered Wills to pay Clowes £500 compensation and sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He ordered Wills to carry out 30 days of rehabilitation activity and imposed an “alcohol abstinence monitoring order” for 120 days.
Wills, who is currently out of work, was fined £10 for breaching the previous suspended sentence order because the judge wanted the financial emphasis to be on the compensation for Mr Clowes.
There was no separate penalty for forcing his way into the flat.
Judge Mooney said that the latest offences were “aggravated by your really poor history” and, as he gave Wills a last chance, he told him: “You’re a lucky man.”
A very lucky man indeed, hope this man can change his ways, stopping drinking is a good start.
A repeat offender who clearly hasn’t learnt his lesson. How do these scumbags keep getting away with it? To kick a defenseless woman in the head is as cowardly as it gets. Shame on him and the judge for letting him off so lightly.