A man has been jailed for a violent domestic assault in Weymouth after detectives successfully pursued an evidence-led prosecution.
Lee Gerrard Slator, aged 41 and of Beverley Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday 5 August 2021 after admitting an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent at a previous hearing at the same court.
He was jailed for three years and four months and also made the subject of a restraining order for a period of ten years.
The offence related to an assault on Slator’s former partner, who was so terrified she asked police to take matters out of her hands and pursue a prosecution without a complaint from her.
On Thursday 18 March 2021 the victim and the defendant had been out in Weymouth together shopping for a bike.
Slator became agitated when the bike that he wanted was not available and assaulted the woman in the street by pushing and dragging her before he then seemed to calm down.
The woman accepted Slator’s behaviour as she said she had become used to him using aggression and violence against her.
She believed she was now safe as the defendant’s outburst was over but sadly this was not the case. When they returned to Slator’s home address he lost his temper again and became extremely aggressive.
First he punched a window in the address, causing the glass to shatter and injuring his hand. He then threw a toolbox out of the window before turning his aggression back toward the victim.
Slator subjected her to a violent assault, punching and stamping on her as she was unable to escape. The sustained attack caused the victim to lose consciousness and she suffered a bleed on her brain as well as several facial fractures.
The following morning, the woman tried to leave and find safety but Slator pursued her and tried to stop her. A neighbour witnessed what was happening and described the woman as ‘looking like she had been in a car crash’.
Several members of the community intervened and an ambulance was called for the woman. Slator was arrested at the scene.
The lead investigator, Detective Constable Kate Rhodes of Western CID, first met the woman on her hospital bed.
She said: “The woman was hiding under a blanket because she was so scared at first, she struggled to even talk to me.
“The injuries that I observed were some of the worst that I have ever witnessed during my career.
“The woman told me that she was unable to make a complaint because of what Slator was capable of and what might happen if she gave her own evidence.”
DC Rhodes spent time with the woman and explained that a prosecution could be pursued without her support.
The officer paid tribute to the victim after the success of the evidence-led prosecution, which resulted in a conviction for an offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.
DC Rhodes said: “This woman found the bravery to tell me what happened to her, which I provided to the CPS in my own evidence.
“It took immense courage for this woman to even speak to me, she put her trust in the police and the justice system.
“Today has secured her safety and her future. I am so proud of her. We cannot overstate the courage and bravery that it takes for someone who has experienced abuse like this to even tell the police.
“This woman is a survivor and wanted her story to be heard so that others that are experiencing domestic abuse might find the courage to come forwards in the knowledge that the police and criminal justice system can protect and support them to break the cycle, end their abuse and receive the justice that they deserve.
“Victims of domestic abuse should not have to suffer in silence and there is a wide range of support available out there for people to turn to.
“I would also like to thank the member of the public who intervened in this incident and the emergency services personnel who attended the scene.”
If you have been a victim of domestic abuse or you know someone who is being abused, please report it to Dorset Police, this can be done in confidence.
If abuse is in progress and someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Otherwise, please contact us at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected] or by calling 101.
Crimes can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
For more information on help and advice around domestic abuse as well as details of agencies that can offer support visit www.dorset.police.uk/da.
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