Drunk Chesterfield thug beat partner outside pub as their crying children watched

Matthew Unwin, 33, was drunk when the row broke out following a boozy Sunday lunch at a Brimington pub on June 27.

Prosecutor Lynn Bickley told Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court how a witness comforted the couple’s “crying” children as they watched the nasty assault unfold.

However the onlooker told how Unwin’s female victim was the first to lash out - punching him on Devonshire Street and pushing him into the road.

Ms Bickley said: “He falls to the floor and gets up and assaults (the victim).

“He gets up and punches the female to the face - the children were crying at this point.

“The male grabbed the female by the hair and dragged her around the pavement, the female was screaming and she (the witness) tried to care for the children who were present.”

Magistrates heard the incident was captured on CCTV and Unwin was later arrested at his home address.

Ms Bickley, speaking about Unwin’s police statement, said: “He had gone out with (the victim) for Sunday lunch - he had consumed a lot of alcohol and cannot remember anything.

“He was shown the CCTV and admitted his actions were reckless and he should have stopped.”

The court heard Unwin’s last court appearance was in 2013 for a motoring offence.

Unwin’s solicitor Felicity Coats told the court that he had not had any contact with his children since the incident.

However both Unwin and his partner wanted to reconcile and live together in the family home again.

While Unwin had undertaken two courses addressing alcohol use which he found “incredibly useful”.

Ms Coats, speaking about Unwin, his partner and children before the incident, added: “They all lived a fairly happy lifestyle - there were no issues and they had been together five years.

“On the day they had too much to drink - it’s quite clear the victim started the altercation of violence.”

However Ms Coats said Unwin accepted his “part and parcel” in the altercation and had entered an early guilty plea.

She said: “It’s unfortunate that this happened while out for Sunday lunch - he accepts that it was in front of children and completely unnecessary.”

Unwin, of Stour Close, Brimington, admitted assault by beating.

He was given a 24-month community order with 150 hours unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation activity days and ordered to participate in a programme requirement of up to 31 days.

The defendant was also made to pay £85 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

A magistrate told him the bench had considered imposing a suspended jail term however there was “provocation” in the case and his last offence was in 2013.

Adding that the amount of unpaid work had been increased due to the “domestic nature of the incident'', the magistrate added: “Children were present and witnessed what happened.”

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