Caernarfon Woman Attacks Ex with Saucepan, Gets Suspended Term

A Caernarfon woman has received a suspended sentence after attacking her former partner with a saucepan while he slept on a sofa. 🍳⚖️

Kelly Cavanagh, 35, of Llys Talar, Pendalar, Caernarfon, admitted to a wounding charge at Caernarfon Crown Court following the February 2024 incident.

The court heard that Cavanagh and Dennis Williams had been in a relationship for six years and had four children together. Mr Williams had gone to Cavanagh’s home to take their children to school when he fell asleep on a sofa. Cavanagh then hit him on the head with a saucepan.

After the assault, Mr Williams confronted Cavanagh in the kitchen where he found her holding a knife, which he took from her. As he attempted to leave, she dragged him back and bit his leg before he managed to escape.

Outside, Mr Williams discovered Cavanagh had damaged his van’s windscreen and headlight. The court also heard that Cavanagh had gone through Mr Williams’ mobile phone and found messages from his mother and sister – contact she had previously forbidden.

Cavanagh later sent a threatening text message to Mr Williams’ sister, stating: “I’ll smash your house.”

Police investigations revealed that Cavanagh had previously hit another former partner with a saucepan in 2022.

Defence counsel Jemma Gordon told the court that Cavanagh suffers from an emotionally unstable personality and ADHD. She currently has no contact with her children and is “missing them greatly.”

Her Honour Judge Nicola Jones noted that while Cavanagh had caused “really serious harm,” she also has significant mental health difficulties. The judge handed down a 16-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, stating that immediate imprisonment would cause emotional harm to Cavanagh’s children.

As part of her sentence, Cavanagh must complete 25 days of rehabilitation activity. No separate penalties were imposed for the criminal damage and threats, as the sentence focused primarily on the wounding offence.