SOUTH SHIELDS MAN JAILED FOR BRUTAL ASSAULT ON PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND

A man named Damien Kelly, aged 29, has been sentenced to two years in prison for strangling his pregnant girlfriend during an attack that lasted up to five minutes at the end of a 10-hour ordeal in South Shields. Kelly had a history of violence and abuse during their seven-month relationship. The woman was six weeks pregnant at the time of the assault in February. The court heard that Kelly pinned his partner to the bed with his hands around her neck. The relationship initially started well but turned abusive after she confronted him for messaging other women. On the night of the attack, Kelly claimed he was going out to buy crack cocaine. He then assaulted her by grabbing her by the throat and pushing her against a wall. Later that morning, Kelly entered the woman's bedroom and demanded she make him breakfast; when she refused, he slapped her and held her against the bed with his hands around her throat while she struggled to escape. Police intervened after Kelly ordered the woman not to answer the door, claiming he wanted to escape. The woman expressed fear of Kelly, stating she was scared and did not want to be with him, though she later retracted her statement, saying she wanted to give him a chance as a father to their child, who has since been taken into care. Kelly, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and ADHD, was also jailed for five months for breaching a suspended sentence for possessing a knife from July 2023. The court described Kelly's behavior as making the woman feel like a prisoner in her own home.