Chesterfield man punched and kicked former partner in the head moments after she'd been headbutted in pub attack

Jamie Andrew Davenport appeared before Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, September 2, following the incident on Whittington Moor on March 14.

Davenport, of William Street North, Old Whittington, had been out drinking with the woman and a group of friends in Chesterfield, said Becky Allsop prosecuting.

The woman had gone outside and been headbutted by another male then returned to the pub with her nose bleeding heavily and saying she wanted to go home, she told the court.

“The injured party in this case had been in a two-and-a-half year relationship with the defendant, she said that it was abusive and while there had been previous violence, she had been too scared to tell the police,” she said.

“He wasn’t being nice to her in the pub to the extent that another member of the group spoke to him about how he was speaking to her.

“When she came back into the pub he became more aggressive towards her and as they went through an underpass at Whittington Moor he punched her to the head and she fell to the floor and he then kicked her in the head.”

She described how the woman then fled from the underpass back to the main road but there were no passing cars. A taxi briefly stopped and drove off again and police were finally alerted after a member of the public saw the 19-year-old trying to drag his victim back into the underpass.”

Davenport, who had consumed 10 pints of beer and vodka mixers prior to the attack, admitted causing actual bodily harm when he appeared before the court.

Mitigating, John Wilford said: “He fully accepts that his behaviour has gone further than he intended it to, and he’s remorseful about what occurred. He’d had far more than he should have had to drink.”

He added that Davenport was in the final year of an apprenticeship and had no previous convictions, urging the judge not to impose an immediate prison sentence.

Sentencing Davenport to a 26-week prison term, suspended for 12 months, District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “Can you guess why this incident happened based on what I’ve just heard? Well, let me help you . . . 10 pints and vodka shots. You behaved like an animal. You attacked her when she had already been attacked rather than comforting her and this was domestic violence of a prolonged and sustained nature. You clearly become a different person when you drink, so don’t drink.”

He also issued a three-year restraining order against Davenport, preventing him from contacting his victim and ordered him to pay £85 costs, a £122 victim surcharge and £250 in compensation.

Davenport must also complete 12 rehabilitation activity days with the Probation Service over the next 12 months.

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