Alcoholic jailed for drunken attack on mum-of-two in Brighouse

A 31-year-old father has been locked up after he carried out a drunken attack on his partner with a heavy pan.

Mum-of-two Leanne Clear had to have seven stitches put in a head wound after Benjamin Sowden attacked her in their Brighouse home in February.

Prosecutor Jeremy Hill-Baker told Bradford Crown Court that Sowden was in drink when he returned to the property on Frances Street and warned the complainant that she had until the count of three to run.

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“She ignored him in the hope and expectation that by not running everything would just calm down,” said Mr Hill-Baker.

But Sowden picked up a heavy pan from the cooker and hit the complainant with it splitting her head open.

“She fell the floor and he struck her three more times with the pan,” said Mr Hill-Baker.

The court heard that Miss Clear managed to wrestle the pan off Sowden before getting out of the house and being helped by a neighbour.

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Mr Hill-Baker said CCTV footage of Sowden at the police station showed he was barely able to stand at times and he later told police he had drunk a litre of vodka.

Sowden was due to stand trial on a charge of wounding Miss Clear with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm, but his guilty plea to a lesser offence of unlawful wounding was accepted by the prosecution after consultation with the complainant.

Barrister Stephen Wood, for Sowden, said his client accepted that he was the “the root cause” of the problems and was willing to do everything in his power to put things right.

“She believes he has a drink problem. He agrees and he agrees that he has had a problem for some time and hasn’t done anything about it,” conceded Mr Wood.

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Jailing Sowden for 28 months Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC noted that although the defendant had some previous convictions there was nothing as serious on his record.

He described the incident in February as disgraceful and added:”Clearly when in drink Mr Sowden you are a nasty piece of work.

Sowden also received an indefinite restraining order which includes a restriction on going within 100 metres of the property in Frances Street.