A Brighton man has been jailed after he held a knife to his ex-girlfriend’s throat, punched her in the face and then strangled her after she broke up with him.
Oliver Phipps, 39, flew into a rage and, as well assaulting Kelly Taylor, threw some of her belongings out of the window of her ninth-floor flat in Kemp Town.
Among the items he sent crashing from the balcony of her home in St James House, in High Street, were a mirror and a bedside cabinet.
When police arrived to deal with the late-night fracas, Phipps, who was armed with two knives, threatened to jump from the balcony.
The two officers were unarmed and a judge commended them for their bravery as they dealt with “an incredibly difficult scene … with remarkable calmness”.
At Lewes Crown Court, William Saunders, prosecuting, said: “There was a stand-off for quite some hours as the police attempted to disarm Mr Phipps and subject him to arrest.”
The court was told that Phipps strangled Miss Taylor “to the point that she feared she was going to lose consciousness and her life”.
Mr Saunders told the court that Phipps had denied strangling Miss Taylor but had been convicted by a jury. He pleaded guilty to affray, assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH) and criminal damage.
He read a statement from Miss Taylor who said: “How Oliver treated me has had a bad effect on my mental health … He held a knife to my throat and strangled me. The level of violence frightened me.”
Nicola Thompson, defending, said that when the police arrived, Phipps tod them: “Don’t come near me or I’ll jump … (He was) threatening to throw himself out of the window.”
He had been drinking and, the court heard, he had previously been detained under the Mental Health Act.
Miss Thompson said: “He was having a psychotic episode and a mental health breakdown.”
Judge Christine Laing, the honorary recorder of Brighton and Hove, said: “This was really appalling behaviour towards a woman you’d been in a relationship with.
“She was telling you that she could no longer cope with you and your behaviour and you worked yourself into a rage.
“You punched her in the face, you damaged her property, principally by throwing it out of the window of her ninth-floor flat, and you strangled her to the point that she feared she was going to lose consciousness and her life.
“When the police attended, you had two knives and were sat on the window sill.
“The officers were not only concerned for their own safety but yours too. That stand-off went on for over two hours.”
Judge Laing commended PC George Harding, who was the first to enter the room and face Phipps, and his colleague PC Brandon Pitchers.
On Friday (12 April), having previously viewed bodyworn video footage, the judge said: “Neither had tasers. They were having to deal with an incredibly difficult scene. They dealt with this situation with remarkable calmness.”
The stand-off started shortly after midnight on Thursday 24 August last year and was exacerbated by drink.
Phipps, of no fixed address, had a number of previous convictions for 43 offences and, Judge Laing said, “many of them involved violence.”
She added: “I’m quite certain that you are an alcoholic and these offences were committed when you were under the influence of alcohol.”
The judge jailed Phipps for two years for intentional strangulation and 18 months for affray, to be served consecutively, making three and a half years in all.
Sussex Police said: “Specialist negotiators engaged with Phipps for around three hours, while he threw items from the window, including a mirror and a bedside cabinet, to the street below.”
As well as the offences for which he was sentenced, he was found not guilty of one count of assault causing ABH.
Detective Constable Stewart Cameron said: “Oliver Phipps is a dangerous offender whose reckless behaviour endangered the lives of his victim, the officers at the scene and himself.
“It is testament to the work of the specialist negotiators on the morning of Thursday 24 August last year that this incident did not have a tragic outcome.
“I would also like to commend the victim for supporting this investigation throughout and the quick-thinking member of the public who reported the assault.
“If you or someone you know is a victim of violence, please report it online or via 101. If it is as an emergency, always dial 999.”
I know it’s difficult but it sounds like the officers would have been better off, for all concerned, to assist him out of the flat via the window