Woman “went ballistic” and knocked out her ex-partner during heated row | Preston Crown Court

Laura Higham pleaded guilty to assaulting the man and stealing his bank cards after they had both been drinking.

The court heard the 41-year-old also took two television sets from the man’s home in Morecambe.

A judge gave her a suspended prison sentence and ordered her to undergo a six-month alcohol treatment programme.

Recorder Anna Price was told the couple, who had split up after a 10-year relationship, remained in contact with Higham visiting the 53-year-old man on occasions to bring him food.

Prosecuting lawyer David Lees said in December last year she turned up at his property one morning and seemed “quite calm” so he let her in. But she soon started “getting nasty” so he escorted her from the house.

She returned later that day and found the front door locked. The man ignored her hoping she would go away, but she went round to the back door which was unlocked and let herself in.

The man was resting on the sofa – he later admitted he was intoxicated - and she asked him for drugs. At that point, said Mr Lees, “she went ballistic” punching him in the face several times.

The man started feeling woozy and couldn’t fight her off. He then lost consciousness.

When he came round he discovered she had taken his two bank cards and also two TV sets. He went to hospital where he was found to have bruising and a cut on his face.

When interviewed by police Higham initially claimed she had been hit and had hit back in self-defence. She later admitted she had punched her ex-partner several times to the face.

Her police record showed she had five previous convictions, but most were around 20 years ago.

Defence barrister Richard Flook said his client had mental health issues but had been making progress during three months on remand in custody at Styal Women’s Prison in Cheshire.

Her lengthy relationship with the man had been “volatile” and she accepted she had landed multiple blows during the incident.

“This was a toxic and unhealthy relationship which has now ended,” he said. She was apologetic and regretful for the situation she had found herself in.

Mr Flook added Higham, of Heysham Road, Heysham, had been getting alcohol and drug support in prison and had restarted her medication for mental health difficulties which had stopped while she was in the relationship.

She was now feeling much better. She had multiple diagnoses which could affect her behaviour and make her far more impulsive and unable to control herself.

Recorder Price told Higham: “It is apparent there was a toxic relationship between the two of you. You went round to his address at 10am and you were quite calm, so he let you in. Then you turned nasty and he removed you from the house.

“You threatened to come back and returned in the afternoon banging on the door. Both (of you) had been drinking.

“You went into his house and he was lying on the couch. There was an argument between you, it resulted in you punching him a number of times. He said he was unable to get you off him, but he accepts that he was drunk.”

The judge said there was no evidence that Higham had used the two bank cards she had stolen. The TV sets were valued at £560.

The man was taken to hospital where his injuries were not found to be serious. He had declined to make a victim impact statement to the court about the incident. But he had asked for a restraining order “to protect him from you in the future”.

Recorder Price said the assault causing actual bodily harm was the more serious of the two charges Higham faced. She sentenced her to nine months in prison for that.

For the theft charge she gave her 16 weeks in prison to run concurrent, meaning a total sentence of nine months.

And because long gaps in her previous offending had shown she could lead a law-abiding life, she decided that she could suspend the sentence for 12 months.

She also imposed a restraining order on Higham banning her from making any contact with her ex-partner for five years.