A 31-year-old man has been jailed for 48 weeks after the latest of a series of assaults on his partner in Newent.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that on September 16 last year, at around 12.30am, police were called when Shane Pickersgill was in the process of assaulting the woman.

Prosecutor Simon Goodman said “(The victim), who had become the target of Shane Pickersgill’s punches, phoned her sister in desperation to come to Newent to pick her up,” said Mr Goodman.

“While she was on the phone to her sister Pickersgill continued to assault her. The sister heard her say ‘He’s just punched me in the face again.’

“(The victim) was then heard screaming ‘Get off me, get off me’ as Pickersgill began biting her.

The sister was then told by Pickersgill on the phone ‘You’re next, and you’re going to get what’s coming to you’.

Pickersgill then grabbed the victim’s phone and ran off.

The sister called the police and officers were on the scene within minutes, said the prosecutor. 

They found the woman in a distressed state and took her home. She showed them her injuries sustained during the assault.

“When Pickersgill was being arrested he assaulted one of the police officers by kicking out backwards at them,” Mr Goodman said. “He denied assaulting (the woman) during interview, claiming she sustained the injuries getting out of a car. “

Pickersgill of Pixley Walk, Hereford pleaded guilty at the last minute, just before a trial was about to start, to common assault of the victim and assaulting an emergency worker on September 16, 2023.

The offence meant he was in breach of a suspended sentence order and four community orders.

The court was told that Pickersgill was subjected to a suspended sentence of eight weeks prison, imposed on September 11, 2023, five days before the latest assault.

He was also in breach of a community order for assaulting the same victim on three occasions and one other person.

Alec Small, defending, said Pickersgill has been leading a chaotic lifestyle for some time but has been in a much better place since being remanded in custody and beginning the ‘drying out’ process.

Mr Small added: “Last year, 2023, was a very difficult year for Pickersgill. His downfall has been alcohol, which has blighted his whole adult life.

“He needs extra support in the community. He is not strong enough mentally to cope on his own. His friendship with (the woman) could be classed as being toxic.”

The judge, Recorder Richard Mawhinney told Pickersgill that his compliance with probation as part of his community orders was as close to zero as he could get - “as in next to no compliance.”

He added that the offences were so serious that only an immediate period of custody could only be justified.

The judge revoked the community orders and activated the suspended sentence, jailing Pickersgill for a total of 48 weeks.