Man jailed after hiding in attic to breach restraining order

A man banned from contacting his former partner until 2035 has been jailed after police discovered him hiding in her attic – just months after the court order was imposed.

Karl Sturrs, 42, of no fixed address, received eight months behind bars at Mold Crown Court on Friday for what the judge described as a “flagrant” violation of the restrictions designed to protect his ex-partner.

The court heard Sturrs had been handed a ten-year restraining order on 15 August last year following his conviction for using coercive or controlling behaviour towards the woman. The order, which doesn’t expire until 15 August 2035, explicitly prohibited any contact between them.

However, prosecutor Simon Mintz told the court that less than six months later, on 9 January this year, police spotted Sturrs’ van at a garage forecourt in Gaerwen, Anglesey – with the protected woman alongside him.

Officers returned to the woman’s home the following day to investigate. Initially, she refused to confirm whether Sturrs had been present. Mr Mintz explained: “It was clear from her nervous manner that he was in the property.”

A search of the premises revealed Sturrs concealed in the attic. The woman later admitted she still had feelings for him and had allowed him into her home.

Simon Rogers, defending, said his client was genuinely remorseful and suggested probation services could work with Sturrs, who had the possibility of accommodation in Holyhead through a construction company colleague.

District Judge Gwyn Jones rejected this approach, telling Sturrs he had “deliberately and flagrantly disregarded an order of the court order. It is the duty of the State to protect vulnerable parties from further domestic abuse.”

The 42-year-old received four months for breaching the restraining order, with an additional four months activated from a previously suspended sentence.