A MAN who had been taking steroids kidnapped his partner from a Coventry housing office where she had sought refuge after he attacked her in their home.
Warwick Crown Court heard that Karl Simon subjected her to repeated beatings, punching and kicking her and pulling out clumps of hair, during a terrifying four-hour ordeal of violence.
Simon (22) of Starley Road, Spon End, Coventry, was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm, kidnapping and causing criminal damage.
Prosecutor Justin Jarmola said that on April 10 Simon went off to the gym, leaving one of his phones behind, and his partner looked at it and saw messages about their relationship.
She called him on his other phone to tell him about suspicions she had as a result of reading the messages – and he immediately returned home in an angry state.
Simon, who had been taking steroids, confronted her in the garden where he immediately punched her to the face, knocking her to the ground, and repeatedly stamped on her body as she curled up in a ball.
When he stopped and went back inside, she rushed up to the bathroom, but he followed her, pushed her to the floor and kicked her to the ribs and stomach.
After about two minutes Simon stopped and went into the living room, but when she went to the kitchen, he again followed her and, after verbally abusing her, kneed her between the legs.
At that point Simon’s sister turned up at the house as he shouted at his partner, inexplicably blaming her for what was happening and telling her: “Look what you’ve done. Everyone’s out in the street.”
Simon then flicked a lighted cigarette at his partner and resumed his attack, strangling her before pushing her down, grabbing her by the hair and pulling out clumps as he dragged her across the floor.
As he continued the attack by kicking her, his sister tried to get between them and shouted at him to stop.
After he finally did so, she tried to leave, but he told her she was not going anywhere and bizarrely ordered her to speak to his mother to apologise for what she had done.
Two officials from the Starley Housing Co-operative, who had been alerted by a neighbour, arrived and his victim, ignoring his orders to say everything was OK, asked for their help.
They took her back to their offices a few doors away, but a few minutes later Simon turned up, grabbed hold of her and dragged her out before bundling her into his car.
As he drove round with her captive in the car for two hours, he repeatedly assaulted her, punching her, banging her head against the window and spitting at her, humiliatingly ordering her to wipe up any spit that hit the car window instead.
Simon, who threw her phone out of the window, breaking it, tried to force her to call the police non-emergency 101 number to tell them there was nothing wrong, which she refused to do.
And before taking her to a wooded area at Coombe Abbey, he tried to rip off her tracksuit, telling her he had paid for it and wanted it back.
In the wood, while he was making a phone call, she finally managed to get away and, after hiding for a while, went to Coombe Abbey hotel where she asked the staff for help.
When Simon, whose previous convictions included an assault on a former partner, was arrested, he mainly made no comment, added Mr Jarmola.
Gareth James, defending, said: “This is quite horrific and unacceptable behaviour. It is something he regrets very much.
“At the time his behaviour was not completely rational, and was affected by his misuse of steroids in the month or so leading up to this.
“He would go to the gym almost every day, and was taking anabolic steroids which are known to have an effect on people’s temper, and it undoubtedly played some part in this offence.”
Jailing Simon, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “You are a man who cannot control yourself when others, in particular your partners, do not do what you want them to do.
“This is the second time you have been before the courts for violence towards someone you were in a relationship with.”
