Warwick man jailed for stamping on the head of his partner’s teenage daughter - while on bail for a similar attack on a work colleague

He pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and wounding, as well as two assaults on his then-partner
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A Warwick man with an inability to control his violent temper stamped on the head of his partner’s teenage daughter while he was on bail for a similar attack on a work colleague.

And at Warwick Crown Court carpenter Alexander Barker was jailed for a total of four years and eight months.

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Barker (34) of Deansway, Warwick, had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and wounding, as well as two assaults on his then-partner.

Alexander BarkerAlexander Barker
Alexander Barker

Prosecutor Sophie Murray said that on March 9 a carpenter turned up at a property in The Close, Leamington, where he had been working for over two weeks.

As he got out of his van he was approached by Barker, who had begun work there the previous week, shouting that he had not been paid for work he had done and wanted his money.

Although he had no influence over payments to fellow-contractors, he only had time to utter ‘Morning’ before Barker pushed him to the ground and tried to stamp on his head.

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The man deflected it with his arms, but a second stamp landed on the right side of his head, causing him immediate pain.

Barker continued to stamp on him to his arm and body while shouting: “I want my money.” He then stopped the attack, threw his keys over a hedge and drove away.

Miss Murray said that as a result of the attack his victim had a fractured cheekbone, swelling to his forehead and soft tissue injuries to his shoulder and elbow.

When Barker was arrested he admitted punching and kicking him, but not stamping on him, and he was released on bail.

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Barker had been in a relationship since around September 2019, and at the beginning of the lockdown he had moved into her address, where her daughter also lived when not at university or at her boyfriend’s.

At the beginning of April this year he and partner argued, and when he said he was going to leave, she went into the bedroom to gather his belongings.

“While she was doing so, Barker kicked the door open with such force that it came off its hinges, causing it to strike her to the head, and she was knocked unconscious.”

Her daughter found her mother unconscious and bleeding from her nose and head, as Barker paced around saying: “Said I would never be like my dad.”

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She did not report the incident, and about two weeks later another argument broke out after she had asked him to make up with her daughter, which caused him to lose his temper.

“He shouted in her face before grabbing her around the throat with one hand and he squeezed hard for around 30 seconds before leaving in his van.”

Again, she did not report it, and in August there was a further incident when he became so aggressive that she put her arm up to defend herself in anticipation of a blow.

Three weeks later her daughter arrived at the house, and when she did not give Barker a warm greeting after he opened the door to her, he complained that she had ‘an attitude problem.’

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His temper was further stoked when she responded: “Why would I be nice to you, are you retarded? Why would I be nice to someone who beats up my mum?”

And when she sarcastically added ‘Bye babes, loves you’ as he went to leave, Barker ran at her and kicked her to the stomach, knocking her to the floor.

And as she curled up in a ball, he stamped on her head four or five times, leaving her with a gaping wound to her head which bled heavily and needed seven stitches.

When he was arrested, Barker claimed it was her who had attacked him by grabbing him by the throat, and that she must have hit her head when he got her off by pulling her to the floor.

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Miss Murray added that Barker had previous convictions for battery as a juvenile, assault in 2008 and affray in 2013.

Ian Speed, defending, said: “Frustrated he was that he had not been paid – no excuse. And frustrated he was with the relationship, but that is no excuse.”

Mr Speed said that after the first incident he would have submitted that Barker needed anger management, but added: “He knows he’s going to remain in custody now, because it’s going to be immediate custody.”

Jailing Barker, Judge Peter Cooke told him: “You clearly have an entrenched inability to control your temper when things get on top of you in a domestic or work context."