Edwinstowe woman left trapped in her flat after former partner tried to kick in her door

Josh Wardle appeared before Nottingham Magistrates' Court.

Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday, March 24, that Josh David Wardle had been in a two-month relationship with the woman – but she had kicked him out the night before because he was drunk.

Prosecuting, Annelli Pritchard, told the court: “They had been getting on well but they could both be unreasonable when they were drunk.

“He had returned home drunk and this had annoyed her and she had asked him to leave.

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“The following morning he had called her and asked if he could come back and she had said no. He called her intercom and then forced the outside door to the flats where she lived.

“There were then three loud bangs to the door of her flat and he was shouting to be let in. She told him that she would call the police, and he told her to call them.

“He had damaged the lock and she couldn’t get out and had to call her landlord because she was stuck inside her flat.

“It was clearly a frightening situation for her, and she was stuck inside the flat with a young child for around two hours.”

Wardle, 24, of St Mary’s Court, High Street, Edwinstowe, admitted criminal damage when he appeared before the court following the incident on April 11 last year.

Mitigating, Neil Taylor, told the court: “It was a new relationship and there was discontent between the two of them. He suffers from anxiety and was having a particularly bad time. They are still friends and they see each other when they’re out and about and will stop for a little chat.

“He had returned to the flat to hopefully collect the rest of his belongings. He had nowhere else to live at that time, and spent some time living on the streets, but is in a better place now.

Wardle was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £300 in compensation. He must also pay £85 in costs and a £22 victim surcharge.

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