Chesterfield man 'attacked former partner twice', court hears

Darren Ritchie, aged 31, of Gladstone Road, Chesterfield, admitted the two assaults and failing to comply with his supervision requirements when he appeared before Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, December 11.The court heard that Ritchie had visited his former partner on July 28, where an argument had broken out and he had threatened to take their young child.Prosecuting, Becky Allsop, said: “This is a domestic violence related matter. The complainant in this case is the former partner of Mr Ritchie and they have a two-year-old son together.“They were separated but she allowed him to stay over because he had nowhere else to stay. They were arguing and she asked him to leave, and he said to her, ‘If I’m leaving then I’m taking my son with me’.A tussle then occurred over a mobile phone, and later when the pair were outside her property, he pushed her to the floor, the court heard.Defending, Denney Lau, said: “This is essentially a grapple over a mobile phone and a push where the complainant fell onto some grass.”Ritchie was given a four-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay a £122 victim surcharge.Magistrates also ordered a 12-month restraining order, preventing Ritchie from contacting his former partner or going to her address.