A violent bully who viciously attacked his girlfriend while they were on holiday in Benidorm has been told: “You should come with a warning to future partners.”
Bad-tempered and aggressive Carl Brady caused a nasty argument while he and the woman were near a swimming pool at the sunshine resort – and he angrily assaulted her after they returned to their hotel room, Hull Crown Court heard.
Brady, 47, of Shannon Road, off Holderness Road, east Hull, but recently in custody on remand, admitted offences of assaulting the woman causing actual bodily harm, between August 7 and 17, 2022, and stalking her between April 1 and November 28 last year. He pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial.
Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said that Brady met the woman through a dating website in 2022 and she was flattered by his advances and thoughtful gestures but the relationship turned violent and he made nasty comments to her and played “mind games”.
They were on holiday in Benidorm and an argument started while they were sitting around a swimming pool. They returned to their room to avoid causing a public scene. She followed him into the bathroom and he punched her to her jaw, saying that it was to shut her up. He pushed her in the chest and threw her against wardrobes, causing bruising.
She was screaming throughout the incident and, after the confrontation calmed down, she sent a message to a friend saying that Brady had hurt her. “The friend offered to pay for flights home,” said Mr Shipley. She decided, however, to stay for the rest of the holiday.
“This was a persistent assault,” said Mr Shipley. “She was vulnerable and she was in a foreign country alone with the defendant.”
The woman later found the courage to end the relationship late last year but Brady bombarded her with about 600 emails in just a few days. Some of them were threatening and aggressive but many of them were attempts to reconcile the relationship.
The woman later said that, even though Brady had pleaded guilty, she was still looking over her shoulder and had “negative energy” around her. She still had many concerns about Brady and what he might do when he came out of prison.
“It’s as though my life has been put on hold because of him,” she said. “He has had such a massive impact on my life. I honestly think Carl will kill someone one day. It’s like I have been living in a haze since this all started.”
Brady had convictions for 10 previous offences between 1994 and last year, including for previous domestic assault matters. He had, at the time of the court hearing, been in custody for six months and three weeks on remand.
Connor Stuart, mitigating, said that no weapon was used during the assault. The relationship was definitely over. “The relationship was, on any view, a tumultuous one,” said Mr Stuart. “He harbours no residual feelings towards her and they will go their separate ways.”
Brady told the court in a letter that he had previously referred himself for help over alcohol matters and he had, in the past, had times when he was homeless. He could no longer work as a carpenter and he had previously been a joiner.
“I do not want to go to prison ever again,” he said. “Please can you give me a chance to redeem myself?”
Judge John Thackray KC told Brady: “She was entitled to feel safe and secure in your company. This must have been quite terrifying for her. Being abroad added to her vulnerability. You bombarded her with 600 emails, some of them abusive, the vast majority of them trying to reconcile the relationship.
“It’s clear that your offending has a profound effect upon your victim, not just physical injuries but the psychological effect. You should come with a warning to future partners.
“I am not satisfied that your risk can be managed in the community or that you can be rehabilitated in the community. Ultimately, only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence.”
Brady was jailed for 18 months and he was given a 10-year restraining order.