Jail for Mansfield man caught hiding in partner's garden

A Mansfield man found lurking in his partner's back garden and defying a court order for the third time has been jailed, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

A police officer was bringing paperwork to lift the restraining order, when he spotted Barry Davis hiding in bushes in the back garden of his partner’s Crompton Road address, in Bilsthorpe, on September 15, and he was arrested.

Prosecutor Ruth Snodin said the woman then returned home and told officers: “I don’t want him here - he nearly killed me before.”

Davis climbed over the seats in the police car and then escaped through the driver’s door, but was chased and detained.

Davis, 47, of Cherry Tree Close, Mansfield Woodhouse, admitted breaching a restraining order, at Nottingham Magistrates Court, on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Mansfield magistrates heard he had a “long history of offending”, and this was the third breach of the restraining order, imposed in May 2017. He received a suspended sentence for common assault in May.

The court heard his partner now wanted the restraining order removed.

Probation officer Raqia Bano said his attendance at probation meetings was “erratic” and he was deemed to be a “medium risk” to his victim.

Yvonne Wragg, mitigating, said Davis had been at the property to collect scrap metal.

“This is a relationship that has been ongoing for 16 years,” she said.

“He has brought up her children, who are now grown up, and they have a joint tenancy.

“Had the police been five minutes earlier or later he wouldn’t have been there.”

Magistrates told Davis: “Until you learn that you can’t keep breaching these orders you will go back to custody.

“It is clear to this court that this relationship has to be sorted out.”

Davis was jailed for four weeks, and was ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge. He will serve two weeks in prison before he is released on licence for 12 months.

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