Suspicious Preston mum arranged for her lover to be beaten up in his bed

Jodie Hillidge, 19, of Ainsdale Drive, Preston suspected Luke O’Neill was having a relationship with the partner of her co-defendant Arron Whitney.

By phone she arranged with Whitney to come and attack Mr O’Neill while he was in bed with her at her home on Staining Avenue, Preston, with texts such as “Do you still want him yeah or no?” and “He’s in my bed I can’t answer” retrieved from her phone.

Prosecuting, Antony Longworth said Whitney, 21, of Willow Crescent, Ribbleton, Preston, was on bail at the time for offences against his ex girlfriend.

Mr Longworth said: “it’s clear they formed a plan together for Mr Whitney to go to Mr O’Neill’s address and to assault him, and it would also appear he recruited Mr Hendry in order to carry out that assault.

“Mr O’Neill was woken by the duvet being pulled off him.

“Jodie Hillidge jumped out of the bed. Hendry jumped on top of him. He managed to get out of the bed and both Hendry and Whitney came straight towards him and repeatedly punched him in his face several times.”

During the fracas Whitney threw an ornamental candle at Mr O’Neill, which smashed a window, and stole his phone.

In a statement the victim, who suffered heavy bleeding and soft tissue damage to his nose said he wakes several times and has to check the room to make sure no one is there.

He said he was “betrayed, hurt and upset” because of the involvement of Miss Hillidge.

She admits conspiring with Whitney to cause actual bodily harm between June 29 and July 6 and was given 100 hours unpaid work.

Whitney admits putting a person in fear of violence by harassment, causing actual bodily harm, criminal damage and theft and was jailed for 16 months.

Hendry, who admits causing actual bodily harm, was jailed for 10 months.

Judge Simon Medland QC said: “What you did was go into a house in the dead of night and beat a man up in his bed. Only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”