NORTH WALES MAN JAILED FOR BREACHING RESTRAINING ORDERS AND TERRORIZING WOMEN
A man from North Wales who caused significant fear to two women has been given a prison sentence after admitting to breaching two separate restraining orders.Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed that Ben Hughes, 28, of Rhiw Road in Colwyn Bay, pleaded guilty during a court hearing to two counts of violating a restraining order.
It was disclosed that a variation of an existing order was put into effect last October, explicitly banning Hughes from posting anything related to the victim on social media.
Despite this, within a day, Hughes posted a detailed message along with photos on Facebook referencing the woman.
At the time of these incidents, Hughes was residing in Gloucestershire, and he also confessed to breaching another restraining order protecting a different victim.
As a result, he received a 12-month prison sentence for the first breach, and his restraining order was extended from three years to seven.
An additional 12-week sentence was imposed for the breach concerning the second victim, to run consecutively.
In his mitigation, Hughes was credited for his early guilty pleas, and it was noted that he was experiencing mental health difficulties at the time.
His Honour Judge Rupert Lowe remarked: "You are intelligent, employed, and showed potential.
Yet, you now face 12 convictions, mostly relating to violence, criminal damage, harassment, and breaches involving women.
You clearly have a strong sense of injustice, evident by your reactions in court.
That is your issue — believing you are justified when you are not.
You have brought this situation upon yourself, instilling fear in these two women." Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Detective Constable Tom Newrick commended the bravery of the victims, stating: "These women have demonstrated remarkable courage by coming forward and reporting these breaches.
We encourage anyone who has experienced a restraining order violation to contact us so we can intervene.
We take these breaches very seriously and aim to support and protect victims." The article also references the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, known as 'Clare’s Law,' which enables the public to ask about potential risks from partners.
