Darren Lewis (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
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A husband who put his wife on the floor and then stamped repeatedly on her body has been sent to prison, after neighbours who could hear her screaming from outside rang police believing she was about to be killed.
Darren Lewis, 52, of Church Street, was handed a total of 22 months at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday. He had denied wrongdoing but was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and of intentional strangulation.
A row that started at the pub
The couple had been drinking at a pub in Knighton, Powys, on 17 December 2024 when they fell out. Lewis left the premises by himself and went back to his flat. His wife turned up there a short while later, and the dispute picked up again once she was inside.
The attack
Lewis shoved her hard enough to send her down, and the back of her head struck the floor as she fell. He then stamped on her over and over, striking the left side of her chest and torso.
She was screaming loudly enough for people nearby to hear it through the walls. One of them, convinced her life was at risk, called the police.
The injuries
Medical findings afterwards recorded bruising on her lungs, tenderness at the back of her head, grazing and bruising to her neck, grazing across her chest, pain in her abdomen, swelling to an ankle, and soft tissue injuries.
What the victim told the court
Prosecutor Alycia Carpanini read out a personal statement on her behalf. In it, she said: “The emotional turmoil this has had on me is profound. I went into marriage believing it would be for life and I’m confused it has come to the conclusion it has… I tried to make him happy but I realised I couldn’t do anything right. I put my heart and soul into the marriage and I’m left with such a horrible feeling of confusion, sadness, and a great sense of loss.
“I blame myself and thought I could have done better but I don’t know what. I don’t leave my house as I feel safer at home. I can’t sleep and have recurring nightmares of the attack. I have night terrors and fear going to sleep. During the attack I felt I was not going to come out of the ordeal alive. I was on the floor saying goodbye to my daughter.
“I will now have to live with the fear and mistrust of people… I felt totally worthless… I realised I was a meal ticket so he wouldn’t have to change his lifestyle… I want to thank the people who rang the police that night. The outcome could have been different if they hadn’t.”
Defence arguments
Alex Greenwood, representing Lewis, told the court his client has not stepped back from his position that he is innocent. He said that when the woman arrived at the address after the falling-out at the pub, she tore up family photographs – including one of Lewis’s brother, who had died a short time earlier – and wrecked a number of vinyl records.
Mr Greenwood nevertheless accepted that what his client did went “far beyond what was reasonable”, and said there were alcohol problems that needed dealing with. He added that Lewis is employed as a farm labourer and is well regarded in that work.
Previous convictions
The hearing was told Lewis already has a record. It includes affray and battery, both against previous partners, and a bladed article offence for which he received a suspended prison sentence.
Sentencing
Judge Wayne Beard, delivering his remarks, said:
“The victim found the assault extremely distressing and emotional. Domestic abuse of this nature frequently leaves consequences well beyond physical injuries.”
He then imposed 22 months’ imprisonment in total.
