(Image: North Yorkshire Police)
A thug who broke a woman’s arm by pushing her to the ground in a York city centre street has been jailed – four years after the offence happened.
Members of the public rang 999 when they saw Christopher Craine’s actions at Monkbar on June 8, 2022, said Damian Walsh, prosecuting.
He had hit his then girlfriend across the face and bitten her, causing her to bleed and when she tried to phone a friend for help, hit the phone out of her hand.
As both of them scrambled to get the phone, he pushed her to the ground, breaking her arm.
But though she initially gave a statement to the police, she retracted it nine days later saying “there was a lot going on in her life” and police shelved the case.
She only agreed to support the investigation three years later after, she said, she had been subjected to three years of abuse and her circumstances had changed.
In a personal statement, she said Craine had apologised to her shortly after the violence and she had believed he was genuinely sorry.
“It made it more difficult for me to come to terms with what happened,” she said.
“The person who caused my injuries was also the person providing support and care afterwards. It left me feeling vulnerable and confused.”
Defence solicitor Andrew Craven said shortly after the violence, the woman had provided evidence to the police about a different assault by Craine on her and he had been locked up three times since June 2022 over offences against her.
Although police and CCTV had seen the couple together when Craine was banned from being with her under a restraining order, she had never complained about his presence to police, said Mr Craven.
Craine denied any suggestion that he had intimidated the woman or bullied her.
Craine, 37, of Usher Lane, Haxby, pleaded guilty to causing the woman actual bodily harm on the day he was due to stand trial.
York magistrates jailed him for 36 weeks saying the injury was severe, he had previous convictions for offences against the woman and he had breached a restraining order aimed at protecting her.
Craine was ordered to pay £400 prosecution costs and a £154 statutory surcharge.
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Mr Walsh said the couple were “play fighting” as they walked towards the woman’s home after drinking together in the city centre. That developed into violence.
As she and the members of the public waited for the emergency services following the violence Craine went to her flat to remove his belongings.
He was arrested some days later.
In her personal statement, the woman said she felt “much happier and centred on moving forward” with her life after leaving the relationship.
She was receiving counselling.
Mr Craven said Craine wanted to apologise to her.
He was no longer interested in a romantic relationship with her.
- The York-based charity Independent Domestic Abuse Service (IDAS) helps anyone suffering from or affected by domestic abuse of any kind including physical, emotional, psychological or sexual. Its 24-hour helpline is 0808 2000 247, its North Yorkshire contact number is 03000 110 110 and its email is info@idas.org.uk. Its website is idas.org