A thug brutally strangled his girlfriend when she refused to have sex with him, a court heard.
Christy Hewitt, 23, boasted he could ‘kill his partner with one punch’ after he ‘flew into a rage’ when she refused his advances, the Liverpool Echo reports. The father-of-three strangled her and repeatedly stomped on his victim’s head in what was otherwise ‘unpleasant and unnecessary’. raid.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Hewitt had previously ‘promised’ his victim that he would never attack her again after previous incidents, but a judge said his words were ‘hollow’. He was jailed for 30 months yesterday (May 21).
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The court was told Hewitt had been in a relationship with his victim for about four years. But prosecutor Iain Criddle described how their time together was marred by ‘violence and alcohol consumption’. On January 4 this year, Hewitt allegedly ‘got angry’ after a night of drinking and ripped a door off the hinges of the couple’s flat around midnight.
The victim went outside to smoke a cigarette and “defuse the situation” but was followed by her boyfriend, who punched and kicked her before grabbing her by the throat and throwing her to the ground. The thug then stomped on her head six times before she was able to escape and ‘run away’ when another resident intervened.
When she returned, she found Hewitt outside, and he resumed his attack by punching her in the face and throwing his cell phone at her. She tried to flee again, but her abuser followed her and hit her twice more on the head.
However, it was only said that she suffered from headaches after the incident. During his arrest, Hewitt made “obviously homophobic comments” to police officers.
This included “imitating” someone by saying “I’m gay” and calling them an offensive name. He was released on bail under conditions not to contact the victim, but despite this he and his father went to live with her.
Then, on the morning of March 13, the complainant refused Hewitt’s sexual advances as they lay in bed – at which point he punched her in the face. When she hit him back, he hit her twice more with such force that she fell out of bed.
Her attacker then picked her up and threw her back on the mattress, straddling her and putting his hands around her throat. Hewitt ‘threatened to kill her with one punch’ and threatened to smash a mirror over her head.
The victim was unable to breathe when she was strangled. She then left the address with the defendant’s father and reported the incident to an employment agency, suffering bruises to her neck, lip, leg and arm.
During an interview, Hewitt gave a prepared statement claiming that “she made it up” after being rearrested. In a statement read to the court on her behalf, the victim outlined how she has suffered from panic attacks and ‘wakes up in the middle of the night thinking she is being strangled’.
She added that she feels “constantly ill and anxious” and has been forced to move home as a result of the incidents. Hewitt has a total of eight previous convictions for fifteen offences.
He was given a youth referral order in 2017 for affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, conditional discharge for assault in 2019, a community order for assaulting an emergency worker in 2022, and 22 weeks behind bars for causing unnecessary suffering to animal later the same year and fined £80 for drunk and disorderly behavior in 2023.
Peter White, defending, told the court: “This is a gentleman who is only 23. He is described as somewhat immature and perhaps not as emotionally developed as he should be, considering that he is now a father of three children.
“He is someone who experienced a traumatic childhood. He was reported missing more than 100 times and moved from one foster home to another and into the care of the local government, while his parents were drug addicts.
“Mr Hewitt thought he was onto something better when he entered into a relationship with the complainant. He accepts that he wasted that.
“For the first time in his life he had relative stability. He accepts that only his actions put an end to it.
“He wants to apologize through me. He accepts the seriousness of the violations.
“Mr Hewitt tells me he is making progress in custody. He is very worried as his father is seriously ill with liver failure, heart failure and a recent brain haemorrhage.
“Mr Hewitt was his carer and was registered as such before he was taken into custody. He hopes to resume the relationship he had with his children and be a positive figure in their lives.
Hewitt – of Parkfield Road, Aigburth – admitted strangulation with intent, two counts of assault by beating, criminal damage and a public order offence. When he appeared on HMP Altcourse via video link, he was given a 30-month prison sentence and a 10-year restraining order.
During sentencing, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said: “It was a relationship that initially started in 2020 but within the first few months there was an incident of a violent nature. A report was made to the police by the complainant, although no formal action was taken. .
“However, it did lead to you breaking up for a while. The following year, in April 2021, you apologized for your previous behavior, promised that there would be no recurrence, and resumed your relationship together.
“Unfortunately, your promise to the complainant proved hollow. Your relationship was turbulent.
“The complainant describes it as toxic, with alcohol being a major factor leading to violence, aggression and police calls. This background sets the stage for the transgressions you have committed.
‘After many hours of drinking you became furious. You attacked her, using both your fists to punch her and your feet to kick her.
“She was thrown to the ground and the attack continued as you stomped on her while she was on the ground. No significant injury was caused but nevertheless it was an unpleasant and unnecessary attack carried out by you whilst intoxicated. “
Recorder Lasker said of Hewitt’s second attack: “When the complainant refused your sexual advances, which she was rightly entitled to, you became furious with her. You had previously warned her that you would punch her because she refused you, and you did just that.”
Hewitt replied “thank you” after hearing his sentence.
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