Man remanded for beating partner with a crutch

A Belfast man accused of beating his partner with a crutch and his plastered foot was refused bail on Saturday after a judge said it was “one of the worst types” of domestic violence he had seen.

Remanding 26-year-old David James Carlton into custody at Newtownards Magistrates Court, District Judge Mark Hamill said that given the alleged beating he meted out and in circumstances of the alleged victim having a non-molestation order against him, he was "not even going to dream of entertaining a release on bail".

Mr Carlton, from Great Victoria Street in Belfast, is charged with attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, possessing a weapon, namely a crutch, with intent to cause GBH, causing criminal damage to various household items including a TV and mobile phone, stealing his alleged victim's keys and SIM card, false imprisonment, causing actual bodily harm, common assault and breaching a non-molestation order on dates between March 24th and March 26th this year.

Giving evidence, Detective Constable McGirr said she believed she could connect Mr Carlton to the charges and that police were objecting to him being released on bail.

She described how a neighbour of the alleged called the police to reports that his neighbour had been beaten up by her boyfriend and when officers arrived at her property in the Cregagh estate, they noticed multiple injuries including — cuts and bruises to her head, “footwear marks” to her head and stomach along with multiple bruises to her hands, arms and stomach.

The officer said the alleged victim had claimed that Mr Carlton, who appeared in the dock with his foot in plaster and walking with a crutch, had used the crutch and injured foot to “hit her repeatedly” before trashing her TV, a radiator and a vase.

Police were objecting to bail, said the officer, as there was a “high likelihood” Mr Carlton with interfere with the not witness, commit new offences given his “propensity to violence” or would fail to turn up for court appearance.

According to defence solicitor Roy O’Neill, it is Mr Carlton’s case that his ex-partner called him claiming to have been attacked by three men so he went “to comfort her” even though that was a breach of the non-molestation order.

Refusing the bail application however, Judge Hamill said that “on the face of it, this is one of the worst types of domestic violence,” given the allegations of repeated violence which caused the lady to seek the non-molestation order in the first place.

Remanding Mr Carlton into custody to appear again on April 17th, the judge also declared there was “no way in the world” that the case should stay in the lower courts but should be prosecuted in the Crown Court.