‘Cowardly’ drug dealer struck ex with baseball bat
A cowardly domestic violence offender who attacked his former partner three times including with a baseball bat has been jailed.
Curtis Storey had been in a relationship with the victim and she said when she became pregnant it was a “turning point” and he started being abusive.
Prosecutor Danielle Gilmour told Newcastle Crown Court: “She regularly wore make-up to cover up the abuse.”
The woman split from him before their child was born and told him he would have to co-operate with social services if he wanted contact. In July last year, she was out drinking with friends and Storey joined. They all went to a friend’s house, where he became aggressive, asking if she had been seeing anyone else and demanding to see her phone.
She saw a message on his phone indicating he had been messaging another woman. He then began raining punches on her, knocking her to the ground. Other men had to pull the thug off her.
On a later occasion, he asked her to meet him at a friend’s house and when she got there only Storey was present. Another argument developed and he again turned violent.
Miss Gilmour said: “He rained a number of blows on her. She sustained bruising and swelling to her face and cuts to her head.”
She left and recorded her injuries in a video. She tried to avoid having contact with him for a few months.
In October last year, he asked her to meet him and at first things were amicable. Miss Gilmour said he spoke about getting someone else pregnant and she told him about going on a date with someone.
This caused him to “erupt” and he picked up a baseball bat and started slamming it onto a bed, getting closer to her and forcing her to move away. She was eventually struck by the bat and suffered significant bruising to her lower back.
She later recorded her injuries in another video and then reported matters to the police.
When officers went to his home they found 27.5g of cocaine, worth
up to £2,800 if cut and 21.7g of crack cocaine, worth up to £2,170 if cut.
Storey, 30, of Tynemouth Road, Heaton, Newcastle, who has 25 previous convictions, including for domestic violence, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Jailing him for four years and imposing a ten-year restraining order, Recorder Tony Hawks told him: “I don’t think there’s anything more cowardly than attacking a woman in temper. That woman must have been absolutely terrified of you.”
Shada Mellor, defending, said he turned to drug dealing after getting into debt.
She added: “He has made efforts in custody to begin a new positive lifestyle.”