A thug launched a vile rant at his ex-partner after punching her in the face telling her: “I hope you get raped and get cancer and die".
Ray Downes, 47, who had previous convictions for being violent towards women, had been in a relationship with his latest victim for around three years. However, things took a turn in October 2019, and she described him as a ‘ticking time bomb’ with anger problems.
The victim had been visiting her mum when she received a worried call from a neighbour telling her that her two dogs had escaped and were in the street, Manchester Crown Court heard. She rushed home and confronted Downes.
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She reached her ‘final straw’ and told him the relationship was over and that he needed to leave. They began arguing, with Downes becoming more aggressive and clenching his first.
Peter Malone, prosecuting, said: “She described him as suddenly punching her to the face. She tried to cover herself to prevent further blows but he struck her again.
“He then grabbed her by the throat and pressed her against the wall. She was fearful she was going to lose consciousness and managed to hit him with a vape device causing him to release his grip on her.”
The woman called 999 who advised her to go into another room, but he grabbed her by the upper arms and pushed her back against the wall. She eventually managed to get away and locked herself in the kitchen after being punched by him again in the chest and shoulder.
During the struggle he shouted abuse at her, including: “I hope you get raped and die of cancer.”
She was left with bruising to her head, neck and arms, and was said to feel vulnerable because of her ‘situation with a cancer diagnosis’. Downes was later arrested and interviewed, during which he denied assaulting her, and stated he had been the victim of an ‘unprovoked assault with a vape device’.
He later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard that Downes, of Cheetham Hill Road, Cheetham Hill, had 17 previous convictions for 41 offences, four of which were for convictions of violence against females, all of whom were ex-partners.
“This was an impulsive, spontaneous and short-lived assault,” Stuart Duke, mitigating, said.
“He has struggled with some mental health problems.”
.Sentencing, Judge Darren Preston said Downes shouted the ‘most vile and disgusting abuse’ at the woman.
“You have four offences of domestic violence against women on your record. You are a man who seeks to prove bullying those who you feel you are physically superior to. It’s cowardly and bullying behaviour.
“Some people say domestic violence is ‘only’ domestic violence, as if it is lesser, but if anything, it is more serious as victims of domestic violence live in fear of their abuser every single day of their lives and feel they have to tread on eggshells about what they can and cannot do.”
Suspending the 12 month sentence of imprisonment for two years, Judge Preston also ordered him to complete a Building Better Relationships and a four month electronically monitored curfew between the hours of 9pm and 9am.
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