2000: WORCESTER MAN JAILED FOR RACIST AND DOMESTIC ABUSE
The former partner of a man from Worcester was compelled to lie in terror beside him after he injured her by opening a lip and confined her within their residence.A few days later, Melissa Roberts ended up with a black eye following an incident where Edward Fitzherbert-Stewart directed racist insults at her in Wyld's Lane.
During a hearing at Droitwich Magistrates Court, the muscular ex-doorman was sentenced to six months imprisonment.
Miss Roberts expressed relief upon hearing the verdict, stating, "He received what he deserved, though I believe he will return." The 24-year-old mother shared these thoughts after the proceedings.
She was celebrating her birthday on Thursday, June 29, when Fitzherbert-Stewart, intoxicated and accompanied by friend James Dale, returned home.
He ordered her to go upstairs, accusing her of liking Mr.
Dale, then struck her in the face, causing her lip to split and leaving her with a black eye.
Miss Roberts recounted that she endured a harrowing night as her partner barred her from leaving the bedroom.
He even threatened her life if she involved the police following the initial assault, but she defied him, leading to his arrest.
On July 2, he assaulted her again outside Wyld's Lane while shouting racist slurs.
Police officers had to use CS spray to restrain him as he continued his racist tirade, with startled Asian residents observing.
The defendant, formerly residing on Sherwood Lane, Lower Wick, admitted to multiple charges: two counts of assault, one of criminal damage, harassment and threats against Miss Roberts, racially motivated threatening behavior, and possession of an offensive weapon—a furlough axe found in his car trunk.
He was sentenced to four and five months for the assaults, concurrently; four months for harassment, concurrently; two months for criminal damage, consecutively; and one month for possessing the axe, concurrently.
Furthermore, he was ordered to compensate Miss Roberts with £200 and to stay away from her, complying with a restraining order.
The prison sentence drew praise from race equality advocates.
Andrew Lee, deputy director of Worcestershire Racial Equality Council, remarked, "Racist abuse remains sadly frequent in workplaces, social venues, and on the street.
We value the courts’ and police’s firm actions against such offenses." Following the case, Melissa Roberts urged other domestic violence victims to take action against their abusers.
"It only gets worse," she warned at 24.
"He did this in front of my children.
He is unwell." Ms.
Roberts was pregnant with Fitzherbert-Stewart’s child but chose to terminate the pregnancy after the attacks.
She explained that the violence caused nightmares for her daughters, Charlotte, five, and Abigail, two, prompting the family to leave Wyld’s Lane.
"They wouldn’t even want to enter the house, so we left.
I don’t know if they’ll forget; maybe Abi will, but perhaps not Charlotte.
Only time will tell." She dismissed claims suggesting she was unsympathetic to Fitzherbert-Stewart’s sister, Theresa.
Relations between Fitzherbert-Stewart and Roberts had been deteriorating before the assault, the court was told.
On June 24, Fitzherbert-Stewart went drinking with James Dale, consuming four pints of lager and returning home around 1:30 am in high spirits.
However, his temper flared shortly after.
"He grabbed her and pressed his arm around her neck, preventing her from breathing," said prosecutor Sally Badham.
"He accused her of fancifying James Dale and called her a slag." The ex-doorman then punched his partner, resulting in a split lip and black eye.
He refused to allow her to leave the bedroom, and they fell asleep before he left the next morning.
He threatened her, saying, "If you call the police, I will kill them; then I will kill you." After his arrest, Fitzherbert-Stewart reappeared on July 2.
Despite her warning that she would call the police, he broke a rear window and confronted her again before collecting a video recorder downstairs.
He punched her near her left eye at the foot of the stairs, as described by Mrs.
Badham.
Police arrived shortly after and seized his car keys amid his shouting of racist slurs, including "Paki slag!
Paki lover, I will kill her!
I will kill all of you and all you Paki bitches!" Subsequently, officers discovered he was carrying an axe, which was linked to a previous altercation with some Asians.
Defense lawyer Fergus Maxwell stated Fitzherbert-Stewart was under stress due to concern for his sister Teresa, who was in a five-month coma from a lung issue.
He claimed Miss Roberts showed indifference to her sister’s health, though Teresa later recovered.
Maxwell noted that his client had suffered while in Gloucester prison, demonstrating "exemplary" behavior.
He had attempted to hang himself and was housed with burglars—four years after a home invasion caused his father’s fatal heart attack.
Maxwell added that Fitzherbert-Stewart now aimed to reunite with his ex-partner, with whom he has three children.
