Suspended sentence for golf club-wielding attacker who threatened to kill woman

A GOLF club-wielding man who assaulted and threatened to kill a woman has been given a suspended sentence.

Robert Evans (34), of Thompson Close, Rawmarsh, threatened and attacked Ms Demi Docking on November 11, but avoided an immediate jail sentence when he appeared at Sheffield Crown Court last Friday.

He had pleaded guilty to sending a malicious communication, making a threat to kill, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon, all against Ms Docking, at an earlier hearing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Chris Aspinall, mitigating for Evans, said he had been using “a cut-off shaft of a golf club” as a weapon.

Ms Docking initially believed that she was being threatened with a knife.

“During a telephone conversation afterwards, where the partner of the victim telephones the defendant, it was said that he [Evans] threatened her with a knife, and he says: ‘No, it’s a club’,” said Mr Aspinall.

“He’s never intended to cause her to think that it’s anything other than what he’s got, which is effectively a short stick.”

Recorder Duncan Smith told the court Evans had threatened to kill Ms Docking, telling her: “I’m going to kill you,” .

Mr Aspinall said: “Evans and Ms Docking are people that are well-known to one another and had arguments in the past.

“There’s an ongoing situation.

“It’s all to do with a spurious allegation that he [Evans] has stolen a cannabis grow that the partner of the victim is growing.

“This is a young man who has an unenviable record but, in terms of serious offences, effectively they stopped in 2008.”

Mr Aspinall said that since the incident he had made complaints to the police.

“He’s drawn back from any further actions like those which brought him to the attention of the police,” Mr Aspinall added.

“He’s dealt with it in a proper way.

“There’s every reason to think that he would be a law-abiding citizen.”

Sentencing, Mr Smith said: “I shall make the sentences concurrent, because they all arise from the same grubby little incident.

“I agree with counsel that this is a serious, though not dangerous, incident.”

Mr Smith said he could suspend the sentence because he had been assured that Evans could now deal with his problems through the proper channels, as proven by the fact that he had made a complaint to the police.

Evans was given a two-year prison term which was suspended for a year.

He was ordered not to contact Ms Docking for five years by way of a restraining order.

 

Related topics: