He had since been ‘on the run’ for 18 months after failing to turn up at court for trial
A man who used a belt to strike a woman repeatedly over the head – causing her to lose consciousness – has been branded an “utter coward”. The victim later regained consciousness at hospital, where she was treated for deep cuts to her head.
The woman had been hosting a group of people at her home late at night and she had wrestled with another woman before being attacked, a court heard. Omali Mukelenge, 23, of Park Row, off Spring Bank, Hull, admitted assaulting the woman, causing actual bodily harm.
Amber Hobson, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the offence was committed on March 30, 2021. Judge Gurdial Singh asked why the prosecution had taken so long. Miss Hobson said that Mukelenge had been “on the run” for about 18 months after he failed to attend a trial last year.
The victim had been on her own at home in Suffolk Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, when a friend asked if he could bring three male friends to her home. She agreed and, at about midnight, a number of women also arrived.
A fight broke out between them and it spilled out into the street, where two women fell over a gateway. While the victim was on the ground, Mukelenge used the buckle end of a belt to strike her over the head – and he did so “five to seven times”.
As the woman lay unconscious, an eyewitness asked Mukelenge to stop and he ran off towards Beverley Road.
He was arrested a short time later by police officers. In interview, he denied the offence.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said there was not a day went by when she did not recall the vicious assault at her home. She had scars which were a constant reminder every time she looked in the mirror.
She suffered headaches and memory loss, which impacted on her ability to seek work. She feared any approach from the attacker’s family and was “constantly looking out for escape routes” if she saw them.
Miss Hobson said that it was a persistent attack, while Mukelenge was intoxicated and it involved the use of a weapon. Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Mukelenge felt shameful and had a stain on his character for the rest of his life.
The offence was out of character and Mukelenge believed that his drink had been spiked that evening. He took full responsibility for his behaviour and expressed his sincere apology to the court. Mukelenge was only 18 years of age when the attack took place.
Judge Singh said: “She was offering you no violence. Like an utter coward, you struck her over the back of the head. You only stopped when someone told you the police were coming.
“You knew what you were doing. These were repeated blows to a prone female.” Mukelenge had absconded from the court trial last year and had gone on the run until his arrest this year.
“You went to ground as if it had never happened,” said Judge Singh. Mukelenge was jailed for two years.