Suspended jail term

Guy Taylor, 24, was held in custody on remand for nearly four months after a catalogue of violence against his girlfriend, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Judge Jonathan Teare told Taylor, of Spital Hill: “You treated this lady, who loved you, at times like a football.” The judge said he had seen the photos: “She was black and blue and you were the person responsible.” Judge Teare told him: “She did nothing to deserve that except perhaps annoy you.” Taylor pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend causing her actual bodily harm and admitted other offences of common assault on her. They had been in a relationship on and off since November 2009. In January this year he began to spend a great deal of time at her address, said Paul Stimson, prosecuting. She said he was jealous and paranoid, believing she was being unfaithful to him. At the end of March he pulled her by the hair and pushed her head under water in the bathroom for several seconds. He stopped and apologised. He assaulted her three more times before they separated for five days. They were reconciled but on 20th May he pulled her into an alleyway and kicked her in the ribs, the court was told. Back at home he pushed her through the front door, kicking her on the backside and then kicking her on the floor. There was blood on the kitchen floor. She had cuts to the side of her face and bruising. “She said she was absolutely petrified of him,” said Mr Stimson. Taylor’s barrister Martin Elwick said another former partner, who was the mother of his child, was at court to support him. Taylor had served the equivalent of an eight months prison term on remand, his first time in custody. He had found it a nightmare and had used the time to make himself a better person. Judge Teare said he had being going to sentence Taylor to 18 months in prison but had been persuaded to take a more positive course. The sentence was 12 months suspended for two years, with 280 hours unpaid work for the community. Taylor would be subject to a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.