Thug strangled ex and pushed her into a ditch during attack
A 33-year-old Derbyshire man carried out a campaign of harassment against his ex-partner which ended with him violently assaulting her. Derby Crown Court[1] heard how the petrified woman woke to find Ben Hodson-Walker standing at the foot of her bed.
He then strangled her in a car, pushed her into a ditch and was described by a witness as “almost folding her in two” as he attacked her. And in an impact statement, the woman told how she is now “a different person” who wishes she had stood up sooner to the defendant.
Jailing him for 35 months for all of the offences, Judge Shaun Smith KC[2] said: “The fact of the matter is that you made the life of (the victim) an absolute misery eventually. And I say ‘eventually’ because the relationship started well in 2020 right up until the time you committed the first series of offences where you threw a brick through her window and were handed a restraining order.
“On that occasion, you were told in no uncertain terms that if you breached it you would go to prison. You put pressure on her to see you again, you were arrested and put before the courts.
“On April 28, 2022, you scared her stiff by going back to her house, standing at the foot of her bed and for a period of days you stayed at the address and then continued to message her. On May 20, 2022, you started banging on her door terrifying her and you were arrested. You pleaded guilty to that offence on May 21 and you were bailed (by magistrates) remarkably and I am not sure why.
“And just one day later, you pulled up in your car and drove off with her and over a short period of time you behaved appallingly towards her. You used physical violence, she was trying to get out and you would not let her.
“You put your arm around her neck, a passer-by heard her screaming and she saw you pick her up and almost fold her in two. She was described by (the passer-by) as hysterical and frantic and the trauma she has suffered is outlined in her victim impact statement.”
Jonathon Dee, prosecuting, said the defendant and victim – a mother of a young son – had known each other since they were teenagers but only began a relationship in 2020 which began well but deteriorated. He said Hodson-Walker was handed the restraining order but then carried on messaging and going to see the victim and their relationship resumed by around the Christmas of 2021.
The prosecutor said during April and May of 2022, the relationship was over again but the defendant kept on contacting the woman culminating in him entering her home when she was sleeping and terrifying her by standing at the foot of her bed. Mr Dee said on May 22 the physical violence took place in a car being driven by the defendant, a disqualified driver.
He said: “She got in the car, she could tell he had been drinking, he told her he would be going to prison. He started strangling her, she got out, he pushed her to the floor and into a ditch, pushed her again and kicked her, he was pretending to cry.
“She started to run away, he tried to get her back in the car, an independent witness heard the woman screaming ‘please help.’ she said it was a terrible scream.” Mr Dee said the witness managed to get the victim away by getting her in her car and driving her away.
He read out a victim impact statement. In it, she said: “He’s made me feel worthless, I feel a different person to how I was and I wish I had stood up to this earlier.” Hodson-Walker, of Burton Road, Rosliston, Swadlincote[4], pleaded guilty to charges including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, driving while disqualified and numerous breaches of the restraining order.
Julia King, mitigating, said: “On his release, he wants to return to society living a legitimate life and never trouble the courts again.”
As well as the jail sentence, Judge Smith extended the length of the restraining order to 10 years.
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References
- ^ Derby Crown Court (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Judge Shaun Smith KC (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Bin man dumps surprised Ripley woman’s whole wheelie bin into his lorry (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Burton Road, Rosliston, Swadlincote (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Sign up to the Derbyshire Live newsletter here. (data.reachplc.com)