STEPHEN RICE AND HIS VIOLENT PAST IN GATESHEAD AND NEWCASTLE
A convicted criminal with a violent history, Stephen Rice, who has previously served time for a series of serious offences including manslaughter, rape, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, has once again demonstrated a pattern of aggression and violence.Recently, Rice was involved in a disturbing incident in Gateshead that culminated in a violent assault against his girlfriend.
According to reports, Rice’s relationship with the woman, who lived in the flat below his residence in Gateshead, had developed after she initially visited to complain about noise coming from his flat.
Their association could be described as complex, considering Rice’s extensive criminal record and the volatile nature of their interactions.
The woman recounted that in April of the previous year, she heard chaotic noises coming from Rice’s flat early in the morning, including sounds of destruction and smashing objects.
Later that day, at around 7 a.m., Rice appeared at her doorstep with a badly injured finger that was bleeding profusely.
She immediately took steps to tend to his injury, wrapping a towel around his finger and offering assistance, including calling for medical help, which he refused.
The situation escalated when Rice, who had arrived with four cans of lager, started accusing her of infidelity—specifically, of seeing other men.
She denied the accusations, becoming emotional in the process.
As she refused to drink the alcohol he brought, Rice’s temper erupted.
He took a full can of lager and violently smashed it into her face, resulting in a physical assault.
Following the attack, Rice appeared upset and tearful, lamenting his actions by saying, “look what you’ve made me do.” Prosecutor Alec Burns described the assault in detail during the court proceedings, stating that Rice's actions amounted to a serious bodily harm.
The woman was left shaken and injured by the attack.
When questioned afterward, Rice initially claimed that she had inflicted the injuries upon herself by hitting her face with the can.
However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Rice, aged 55 and residing at Redheugh Court in Gateshead, was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to 14 months in prison.
The presiding judge, Recorder Carl Gumsley, condemned his actions, emphasizing the gravity of assault within the context of a relationship.
“This was a nasty offence against somebody you were professing to love, and it took place in her home,” Gumsley stated.
He also highlighted Rice’s troubling criminal history, which includes convictions for some of the most severe forms of violence.
Throughout the court proceedings, Rice’s defense lawyer, Ian Brook, acknowledged that the incidents stemmed from jealousy and disharmony.
He pointed out that Rice, who was released from prison in June 2018 following his rape convictions, expressed some remorse for his actions.
Despite this, Rice’s criminal background is extensive.
His previous convictions include the killing of a rival during a shootout in the Bigg Market in Newcastle just days before Christmas in 1995, where he shot and killed Frankie Kelly in Maceys bar, armed with a pistol.
Furthermore, Rice served six and a half years in prison in 2006 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine within the city.
In 2011, he was handed an 11-year sentence for assaulting and raping a woman in her own home in Newcastle, where he struck her from behind with a weightlifting bar and continued the assault before raping her.
His criminal record reflects a long history of violent behavior and involvement in serious criminal activities, illustrating a pattern of conduct that has persisted over decades.
Rice’s criminal activities and history reveal a man deeply embedded in a cycle of violence, whose actions continue to threaten public safety and the safety of those close to him.
His latest conviction reaffirms the dangers associated with individuals who carry such a history of brutality and misconduct.
