Boy had to hold back drunken man during attack at house party

A furious man who tried to attack his partner at a house party had to be held back by a boy. The youngster saw 43-year-old Thomas Ward screaming at the woman during the drunken party at a house in Coalville ^[1].

At Leicester Magistrates' Court ^[2] on Wednesday, prosecutor Sally Bedford said the boy had described Ward "getting up from his chair and screaming in her face" in front of the other guests, shouting at the woman: "I'm going to ******* kill you whenever we get out of this house."

The argument moved to the kitchen where the boy saw Ward clench his fists and try to hit the woman. But the boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, held him back, later helped by his mother.

Later at the party the boy saw Ward and his partner were cuddling again and seemed happy, but then the drinking went on into the night and a further row erupted at about 4am. It led to Ward throwing the woman's phone on the floor.

She ran upstairs to get away from Ward. He chased after her and - in front of the boy - punched her in the back of the head.

Leicestershire Police ^[4] officers were called to the house and officers arrived as Ward was chasing the woman out of the house. He was arrested, but later said he had no recollection of anything that had happened.

Ms Bedford said Ward had previous convictions and was considered "a high risk to intimate partners" by the police. He had also been convicted in Derbyshire last year of attacking a female member of staff in a pub, the court was told.

Ward, of Ribston Court, Sheffield, who has been in prison since the attack on Saturday, October 21, pleaded guilty to assault by beating. Rajpal Singh, representing Ward, said: "On that day they were all drunk. She was arrested, too, for obstructing the police.

"He pleaded guilty on my advice - being drunk and not remembering is not a defence. He has now served the equivalent of two months imprisonment. He has a historic pattern of mental illness and drug misuse."

The magistrates sentenced Ward to a community order with 30 days working with the probation service to avoid re-offending. He was also ordered to pay £120 court costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

References

^{^} Coalville (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Leicester Magistrates' Court (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Man due in court for drunken bus station attack barred from hearing for being drunk (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
^{^} Leicestershire Police (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)