Jail for criminal who pushed partner down stairs and attacked her after she refused to give him money - The Coventry Observer

Jail for criminal who pushed partner down stairs and attacked her after she refused to give him money

Coventry Editorial 23rd Jan, 2017   0

A DRUNKEN Coventry man who pushed his girlfriend down the stairs after she refused to give him money has been jailed.

Christopher Scott-Horscroft pleaded guilty to assault by beating and theft, and admitted being in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed in March last year.

Scott-Horscroft (23) of Dilcock Way, Canley, Coventry, was jailed for ten months – consecutive to eight months of his suspended service which a Warwick Crown Court judge also ordered him to serve.

Prosecutor Ian Speed said in December Scott-Horscroft went to the Coventry home of his girlfriend of three weeks, where he stayed and drank wine with her.




At about 4.50am he began demanding money from her, and became angry when she refused.

“He pushed her, causing her to fall down the stairs. She regained her balance about half-way down, but he then kicked her, causing her to fell the rest of the way down.


“At the bottom of the stairs he grabbed her by the throat, almost to the point of preventing her from breathing.

“She broke free and attempted to call the police, but he took her phone from her and left with it, also taking her daughter’s pushbike as he left,” said Mr Speed.

The following day the police attended an unrelated incident in Coventry city centre, where they saw Scott-Horscroft and recognised him as being wanted for the assault.

When he was arrested Scott-Horscroft, who had a small bag of cocaine on him, made no comment.

Mr Speed pointed out that at the time Scott-Horscroft, who had 14 convictions for 23 offences, including an assault on a previous girlfriend, was in breach of a suspended prison sentence.

That had been imposed at Stafford Crown Court in March 2016 for causing grievous bodily harm to a fellow inmate while he was serving an 18-month prison sentence imposed at Warwick Crown Court in 2015 for robbery.

The prison attack had led to him spending more time in custody after serving the robbery sentence, after which he was given the suspended sentence.

Amy Edinborough, defending, said: “Despite the tone of the pre-sentence report, the defendant accepts it was an unpleasant incident. It was the result of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “In March 2015, for robbery and having a bladed article, you were sentence to 18 months.

“On the 6th of August 2015 a fellow inmate was seriously assaulted by you, and was left with bleeding on the brain.

“On the 17th of March last year, for that offence you were sentenced to 12 months suspended for two years. But you did not comply with the Resolve programme properly, and you lied and produced a false sick note.

“… Then on the 6th of December you, in a relationship with her, behaved very badly indeed.

“..She thought at some stage you were going to kill her.

“It is that type of behaviour you have used throughout your criminal career. It will be an immediate custodial sentence.”

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