Thug jailed after assault on widow and prison phone smuggling

A violent man who punched his ex-girlfriend in the face before bizarrely fetching frozen peas for the swelling has been jailed.

Andrew Hale, 35, carried out the “nasty” assault on the widow at her home in Tredegar on Thursday, May 29, 2025, after she ended their relationship.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Hale kicked the woman in the ribs “several times” before striking her in the face. Prosecutor Mari Watkins told the court: “The defendant fled when he heard the police sirens outside her address.”

He was arrested shortly afterwards.

Hale, of Hendre, Newtown, Ebbw Vale, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) but was convicted by a jury following a trial. The offence put him in breach of a suspended jail sentence for dangerous driving.

He was cleared of intentional strangulation, assault by beating, threatening to blow up the woman’s house and damaging her television.

Prison phone smuggling

Whilst being held at HMP Cardiff ahead of his trial, prison officers discovered a Zanco mobile phone and its charger concealed between his buttocks. Hale claimed the device had been flown in by a drone but “declined to give further details”.

He pleaded guilty to possession of a specified item without authority inside a prison on Sunday, August 3, last year.

Victim’s powerful statement

In her victim impact statement, Hale’s former partner described suffering “emotional, physical and mental abuse” at his hands. She has now moved away from Tredegar.

She revealed: “I’m frightened he could know where I now live. I don’t think I will ever be able to live in peace. This incident has made me scared for my future. He preyed on me because I am vulnerable after losing my husband.”

Lengthy criminal history

The court heard that Hale has 46 previous convictions for 102 offences, including charges of violence, possession of an offensive weapon and dishonesty.

Defence barrister Tabitha Walker said of the assault: “He is genuinely remorseful for his actions and deeply regrets them.” Speaking about the mobile phone, she called it a “stupid thing to do”, adding: “The defendant intends to stay substance free after his release from prison.”

Judge’s remarks

Sentencing, Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant told Hale: “You are a man of violence.” He said the assault had been “nasty” and added: “It is aggravated by the fact that it was committed in a domestic environment.”

Hale was jailed for two years and four months for ABH and handed a consecutive term of six months in prison for the mobile phone offence.

He was made the subject of a five-year restraining order not to contact his ex-girlfriend and must pay a £228 victim surcharge.