He claimed he was acting in self defence and that his hand accidentally ended up around her neck when he reached out to stop her falling
A pregnant woman was left terrified when her angry ex-boyfriend repeatedly pushed her before strangling her – restricting her breathing – during a nasty confrontation after a heated argument. Daniel Mills later pretended that he was acting in self-defence and that she tripped up over some shoes before falling onto a banister, a court heard.
Mills, 23, of Paxdale, off Ennerdale, Hull, denied offences of intentional strangulation and assault on August 19 last year but he was convicted after a trial before a district judge at Hull Magistrates’ Court. He had been committed to Hull Crown Court for sentence.
Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that Mills and the young woman were in a relationship until a few days before the incident. They had a child together and she was pregnant with his other child at the time of the offences.
The woman went to his home and they started talking about their recent break-up. There was an argument and the heated words later continued.
Mills pushed her, shouted at her and poked a finger into the right side of her forehead. He repeatedly told her: “Get the f*** out of my house” and he stood in the doorway while she was holding their child.
“He continued to push her,” said Miss Turner. The woman told him: “Stop pushing me.”
Mills pushed her more than 10 times and put both his hands around her neck, causing her to fall backwards onto a banister. He pressed down and restricted her breathing, causing marks around her neck, before loosening his grip.
The woman managed to slip past him into the living room. “She repeatedly asked him not to touch her,” said Miss Turner. “She sat on the sofa.”
The woman and the child went to her car and Mills told her that he was sorry for everything that he had done. She later received a number of phone calls and messages from him apologising for his actions.
He was arrested on August 20 last year. “The victim was pregnant at the time and the child was in her arms at the time of the offence,” said Miss Turner.
During police interview, Mills claimed that his ex-girlfriend had attacked him and that he pushed her in self-defence. He claimed that she tripped over some shoes and that this was when she fell onto the banister.
He claimed that he reached out to stop her falling and that his hand accidentally went round her neck. The woman later said: “This incident has made me feel scared of him and what he is capable of and that unknown. That’s not the man I thought he was.”
Amber Hobson, mitigating, said that there were references for Mills. He had no previous convictions. No other mitigation was requested after an indication of the intended sentence was given.
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Judge John Thackray KC told Mills: “You should appreciate that violence in a domestic context is not less serious, it’s more serious because there is a breach of trust. She was entitled to feel safe and secure in your company – you being her ex-partner and the father of her children.
“This is much more serious than violence that takes place outside a relationship. Intentional strangulation is terrifying for the victim. They never know when the strangulation will come to an end. It’s clear that your victim was very scared and upset by what you did.”
Mills was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours’ unpaid work, 26 sessions of a probation service domestic abuse programme and 15 days’ rehabilitation. He was given a five-year restraining order.