Romantic text message row sparked domestic violence

A Mansfield man attacked his partner after she discovered romantic text messages from another woman on his phone, a court has heard.
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COURT: Court Case

Sean Wood, 34, admitted the assault on February 5 after he returned to his Winthorpe Street home, drunk, and fell asleep on the sofa.

Donna Fawcett, prosecuting, said: “The complainant saw his mobile phone was hanging out of his pocket.

“She read text messages from a woman that said she loved him and wanted him to leave his partner.”

When Wood was confronted about the messages he threw the phone away and punched his partner to the ground where he kicked her.

“He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. She thought she was going to pass out,” said Ms Fawcett. “When it was over she managed to call her brother who called the police.”

Wood’s partner told police: “I was so scared I went out into the street to wait for my family.

“I don’t want my children to see me getting assaulted ever again. I know I can never let Sean back in my life.”

She was treated at King’s Mill Hospital for injuries to her mouth.

The court heard Wood had lived with the victim ‘on and off’ for ten years. They had separated when he went to prison for criminal damage in 2010, but reconciled when he was released.

Treve Lander, mitigating, said: “Anybody that knows him would say that he is not a violent man.

“This is very much out of character. There is no violence on his record and certainly no domestic violence.

“He has had, and does have, a very sustained drink problem and that was very much the cause of the incident that led to his prison sentence.”

The court heard that the couple’s eldest daughter, who suffered from Battens Disease, died last year, and that Wood had been her full-time carer.

Mr Lander said: “This couple had a massive tragedy.

“Sean had kept off any severe drinking, but since then has fallen into drinking vodka and this has been his problem.”

Wood told police he couldn’t remember what had happened during the incident.

Mr Lander said: “He woke from a drunken slumber and matters went from there. There is no pre-meditation here.”

Sentencing was adjourned until March 9 for reports.