An Army veteran who struck his partner and attempted to strangle her as she sat in her bed has been ordered to pay compensation.
As previously reported on Chroniclelive, drunk Zac Bowmer left the terrified victim struggling to breath as she begged him to stop during the assault in her own home. A court heard that the 28-year-old had turned up uninvited at the woman's address and let himself in using a spare key before going into her bedroom.
Inside, rather than go to sleep, Bowmer demanded she turned the TV off then flew into a rage when she told him to sleep in the other room. Magistrates in Newcastle were told that he shouted some abuse before striking the victim to the side of the head and grabbing her throat with both hands.
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The terrified victim thought she was going to suffocate as she struggled to breath and "begged" Bowmer to let go but he continued to apply pressure to her neck. She eventually managed to wriggle free and escape from the house, despite attempts by Bowmer to pull her back in, prosecutors said.
The thug, of Keppel Street, in Gateshead, appeared in the dock last month to plead guilty to assault by beating. The case was adjourned for the preparation of a pre-sentence report and he was back in the same court this week to learn his fate. Magistrates gave him a 12-month community order, with 200 hours of unpaid work, and ordered him to pay £500 compensation to his now former partner.
Claire Armstrong, prosecuting, said the victim was in bed at her Newcastle home at 10pm on January 28 this year when Bowmer turned up uninvited and let himself in. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he started being abusive and told her she was doing "nothing" with her life, in reference to her working in a factory while he was in the Army.
The woman ignored the insults but Bowmer's behaviour quickly escalated when she told him to sleep in the other room after he complained about the TV being on. Miss Armstrong continued: "Following this exchange, the defendant swung his arm and struck the complainant on the right side of her head with an open hand.
"The complainant tried to get out of bed but, before she had the chance, the defendant turned to sit on his knees and grabbed the complainant around the throat with both hands, pushing her back and choking her by pressing his hands around her neck.
"The complainant was unable to breath and began quickly to feel like she was going to suffocate. She begged him to stop. Of course, she did find it difficult to speak due to the fact the defendant had his hands around her neck."
The court heard that the woman managed to wriggle free and get out of the room, despite Bowmer trying to pull her back. In a booze-fuelled rage, he then threw her phone towards the bedroom wall.
Magistrates heard that the victim managed to get out her flat and bang on a neighbour's door but was pulled back inside her address by Bowmer, who now works as a forklift truck driver. She did eventually get out and take refuge at the neighbour's while she phoned her parents and later the police.
In a statement, the woman said: "Zac has behaved disgustingly. I'm appalled and sickened that he's done this to me and this is the end of our relationship." Thankfully, she was not physically injured.
Neil Connell, defending, said Bowmer was so drunk that he had no memory of the incident. Mr Connell added: "He remains shocked by his behaviour that night and is very sorry about the distress and harm caused. He acknowledges that the relationship at an end and there has been no contact between them since. As a consequence of this incident, he has addressed his alcohol intake."
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