'Ugly scenes' as boozy boyfriend slapped half-naked partner before 'pinning her against wall'

A thug slapped his half-naked girlfriend before slamming her into a wall during a boozy night out on Teesside.

Robert Oliver, 53, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an incident in his hometown of Stockton on February 13. Teesside Crown Court heard the defendant slapped his partner before pushing her into a wall causing her a head injury.

Summarising the case, Judge Howard Crowson said the attack took place after a dispute which saw the woman remove her clothes leaving her half-naked. He said: "This was an ugly scene. It is what looks to me a dispute between two people who have perhaps had too much to drink. For no obviously good reason [name of victim] appears to lower her clothing and from the waist down to her knees was naked.

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"You reacted to that and were angry. It looks to me you slapped her, you tried to get her clothes back into place as she was pinned against the wall. These things can be very frightening. You both fell to the floor and you pulled her back to her feet where you were able to dress her but then you pushed her into a wall."

The court heard the woman sustained a head injury and police were called to the scene. In mitigation, Oliver's barrister Tabitha Buck, said the defendant accepts the impact of alcohol on his behaviour and shows a level of remorse in the pre-sentence report.

Ms Buck also asked for credit for the defendant's guilty plea but Oliver urged Judge Crowson to send him to custody. Oliver, previously of St Peter's Road, was handed a four-month prison sentence but was told he may have already served a large part of the sentence on remand at Durham Prison. Oliver was also told he must pay a £154 victim surcharge.

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