NOTTINGHAM MAN SPARED JAIL FOR ASSAULTING PARTNER AFTER BINGE
A Nottingham woman-beater who assaults females after consuming cocaine and alcohol was spared immediate imprisonment.Nottingham Crown Court was told that Romaine Brown, aged 33, was on a drug and alcohol binge and had not slept for days when he attacked his latest partner in St Ann’s.
The prosecution described the attack as "a sustained beating" as Brown believed she had been unfaithful.
His previous convictions include numerous similar incidents of violence against ex-girlfriends and women, including an assault in 2014 where he told police, "I hit my girl - lock me up." Other past offenses include giving a backhander to a woman during an argument, punching a woman during a robbery, and grabbing a woman by the breasts.
The recent victim reported that Brown assaulted her on November 16 of the previous year at his then-home in St Ann’s.
Brown admitted to the police that he had been "on a bender for a few days and had not slept" and that he "went mad" thinking she had slept with another man.
He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The judge, Rosalind Coe KC, acknowledged the injuries and linked Brown's violence to his drug and alcohol use.
She commented, "I have seen the bruising to her eyes and her arms and it is apparent that this is something which happened when you had taken cocaine and drank.
A significant aggravating feature is that your violence towards female partners seems to be related to your consumption of drugs and alcohol." The judge noted Brown’s previous issues with violence, including an incident in 2014 and others involving assaulting women.
The court sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, along with requirements to attend 26 rehabilitation sessions, perform 100 hours of unpaid work, and abide by a five-year restraining order preventing contact with the latest victim.
