Violent drunk jailed after woman banged her head and suffered fractured arm

The complainant and others had been trying to stop drunken Daniel Atkinson from driving another partygoer home in the early hours, but he became aggressive towards them during an argument in the street.

Prosecutor Ken Green told Bradford Crown Court that Atkinson used both his hands to push the woman backwards and when she fell she struck her head on the ground.

Atkinson drove off after incident and the woman was later treated in hospital for a cut to the back of her head.

Mr Green said the complainant had also suffered an injury to her shoulder and it was later found that she had suffered a fracture to her upper arm.

In a victim impact statement she described being unable to drive for two months and having to undergo physiotherapy on her shoulder.

Mr Green said the injury meant she had to cancel a holiday she was due to go on and she had still not regained full mobility in her arm at the time she made her statement in January.

Atkinson, of Hillcrest Road, Queensbury, was found guilty of the assault charge following a trial in the magistrates court and his case was committed to the crown court for sentence.

Mr Green explained that the time of the assault in July 2018 Atkinson was already subject to a community order for a previous incident of violence in strikingly similar circumstances when he assaulted his sister and his partner as they tried to stop him driving off in a vehicle while drunk.

Barrister Eddison Flint, of Atkinson, highlighted the fact that there had been a 13-month delay in the case and he said his client had not been in any further trouble.

Mr Flint said his client hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol for the last six months and he was determined to address his problems with anger and drink.

He submitted that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in Atkinson’s case, but Recorder Andrew Dallas said the offending was too serious to suspend the prison sentence.

The judge said Atkinson’s previous offending against six different women was a very concerning pattern of behaviour.

Referring to the incidents involving women trying to stop him using a car while drunk the judge said the similarity of the facts was striking and concerning.

“It seems you have completely failed to learn any lessons from the court process that arose from that (previous case) and previous convictions,” the judge told Atkinson