Alex Thomas (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
A Merthyr Tydfil man who smashed his way into his former partner’s home, threatened to kill her, and grabbed her by the throat has been sentenced to more than two years behind bars. ⚖️
Alex Thomas, 21, of Lupin Close on the Gurnos estate, had been out of prison for only a matter of days when he carried out the attack in January.
Background
Cardiff Crown Court heard Thomas and the woman had been in an on-off relationship since 2021. Upon his release from prison in January, he contacted her to declare his love – but she told him to leave her alone and blocked his number.
The pair later crossed paths during separate nights out at Merthyr’s Celtic bar, where Thomas grabbed the woman and told her to “clear her mind out”. She pushed him away and left.
The attack
Prosecutor Christopher Evans told the court that Thomas arrived at the woman’s home in the early hours and punched his fists through the kitchen window before attempting to climb inside. He left after failing to get in.
The woman then received a call from a friend who had heard Thomas shouting “very loudly” in the street that he was going to “murder” her.
When the woman opened her front door, Thomas “came out of nowhere” and forced his way inside. He pushed her into a radiator and grabbed her around the neck, squeezing for four or five seconds while shouting “Just tell me! Just tell me!”
She managed to get him off her and force him out of the property.
Arrest and pleas
Thomas was arrested on January 18 and answered “no comment” to all questions in interview. He had previously pleaded guilty to criminal damage, making threats to kill, and strangulation.
The court heard he has five previous convictions for 10 offences, including assault by beating, inflicting grievous bodily harm, criminal damage, and breaching a restraining order.
Mitigation
Nick Gedge, defending, said Thomas accepted he had been drinking on the night in question and had “acted in a jealous way”. He told the court his client now understands the relationship is over.
The barrister said Thomas had been misusing drugs since the age of 16, with cocaine becoming a particular problem, but that he has a supportive family and had expressed a wish “to be a better father” to his children.
Sentencing
Recorder Greg Bull KC said it was clear the defendant’s “infatuation and excessive jealousy” had prevented him from seeing sense and from understanding that the complainant wanted nothing to do with him. He added that the pre-sentence report’s conclusion that Thomas poses a serious risk to women was not something he could ignore.
Thomas was sentenced to 27 months in prison, with a one-quarter discount applied for his guilty pleas. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
