Man who punched and suffocated former girlfriend is jailed

The woman was suffocated by Damon Broadhurst who forced her face into the bed, before punching her to the face and throwing away her phone so she could not call the police.

The 48-year-old appeared before Bradford Crown Court yesterday to be sentenced on charges of intentional suffocation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

He was convicted of the first two after a trial but pleaded guilty to the latter, with a judge concluding that immediate custody was the only appropriate punishment worthy of his offending.

The facts of the case were outlined by Lauren Smith, prosecuting, who explained to the court how the victim was his then-girlfriend.

On an unspecified date in November 2021, they were living together in the Shipley area and had been out drinking, with Broadhurst ‘kicking off’ as they returned home.

She left the home, causing the defendant to ring her but fail to get through. He then rang her father, demanding to know where she was and threatening to ‘kick his head in’ if he did not say.

The woman returned home, at which point Broadhurst kicked the bannister, pinned her to the wall, punched her to the face and stomped on her iPhone, causing £200 worth of damage.

Further violence was inflicted on July 2 last year, with the pair going for dinner and then bowling. Both were in drink, with the defendant becoming ‘angry and frustrated’ when she started to beat him at bowling.

He made ‘nasty’ comments to her, leading to them getting an Uber back to her home at around 9.30pm, where he told her the relationship was over and she asked him to leave.

He called her a ‘fat, ugly b***h’ and then attacked her in the bedroom, pushing her and punching he to the face, leading her to scratch his face in self-defence.

As a result, Broadhurst forced her face down into the bed, leaving the victim panicking as she struggled to breathe, but she managed to free herself from his grip.

She grabbed her phone to call the police but he snatched it from her, threw it out of a window and punched her repeatedly to the face, causing a cut to her ear and facial bruising and swelling.

Damon Broadhurst was jailed at Bradford Crown Court (Image: Google Maps)

The woman managed to free herself again by kicking the defendant and ran to a neighbour who helped her to call the police. Broadhurst was arrested in his car outside.

Ms Smith also revealed to the court that the defendant has four previous convictions for 14 offences, nine of which are for offences against people.

These include three counts of assault and one of inflicting grievous bodily harm in April 2019.

Exerts from an impact statement written by the victim were read out in court, in which she spoke of how reliving details in court made her feel ‘anxious and sick’.

Parts of a victim impact statement were read to the court.

“It is hard to express how someone you trust and thought you would spend the rest of your life with has it in them to destroy another human being as he did,” the victim said.

“I do not believe he will accept responsibility and apologise as he thinks it was a normal way to behave. What he did was unforgivable, unwanted and unwarranted.”

She added that at times she did not want to attend court due to finding the experience ‘too traumatic’, however she did not want another woman to be subjected to what she went through.

Ella Embleton, defending Broadhurst, offered mitigation in the form of a letter Broadhurst wrote to the court in which he said he will never repeat his behaviour.

“I want to express my deepest remorse for my actions, and the distress they have caused. My behaviour was unacceptable,” he wrote.

The court also heard how the builder has been in a new relationship for the past 12 months and wants to be a role model for his stepson.

Since the offending, Broadhurst said he'd engaged in counselling and a meditation course and had not drunk alcohol, which he admits is the cause of his problems, for the past 15 months.

But recorder Patrick Palmer ruled that a suspended sentence was inappropriate, concluding: “You behaved in an extremely unpleasant way towards her.

“The offence crosses the custody threshold no doubt. All things considered, immediate custody is the only way that appropriate punishment can be achieved.”

Broadhurst, of Bowman Avenue in Latchford, Warrington, was given an 18-month sentence.