BIRMINGHAM MAN SENTENCED AFTER VIOLENT ASSAULT ON PARTNER WITH INFANT IN ARMS

A 25-year-old man named Dwayne James received a prison sentence after attacking his partner while she was holding her infant. The assault took place on October 19 in Great Barr, during which James, who had consumed excessive alcohol and a legal high known as Black Mamba, became physically aggressive. He struck his girlfriend in the back and face as she cradled her baby, who was just a few months old. Moreover, James pushed her mother by the neck and behaved violently towards police officers when they arrived. He directed racial slurs at police and hospital staff, spat at them, and refused to cooperate peacefully. Following his detention, he was transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where it was found that it took him four days to recover from the combined effects of the drugs and alcohol. During the sentencing hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Michael Challinor noted that James's violent conduct was primarily driven by substance use and intoxication, commenting, "You had too much to drink and took this drug, which led you to behaving this way. It was four days before the effects subsided, and you had no memory of the incident." Prosecutor Kevin Jones recounted that James repeatedly punched his partner, smiling and laughing during the attack, and pushed her backward while she was holding her baby. The court also heard that James attempted to headbutt a police officer attempting to arrest him, used offensive language towards officers, racially abused a second officer, and harassed medical staff at the hospital. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison along with a five-year restraining order prohibiting contact with his partner and her mother. His defense claimed that his behavior was greatly influenced by the consumption of alcohol and the legal high.