Lancashire man who body-shamed girlfriend attacks her in rage after she accidentally spills water
A bully who body-shamed his girlfriend by sneeringly showing her pictures of models has appeared in court for assaulting her.
A judge heard that would-be boxer Jordan Jacques taunted his partner with magazine photographs, saying: “Why don’t you look like that?”
Preston Crown Court was told that the 21-year-old assaulted the woman twice in the space of a week, calling her “disgusting” and “scruffy”.
She eventually packed her bags and walked out on him before calling the police.
Jacques, of Sefton Terrace, Burnley, was spared a prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of assault by beating.
But Recorder Ayisha Siddiqi told him: “You are being given a chance here, and you need to take it.”
The court heard that Jacques had flown into a rage after his girlfriend accidentally spilled a glass of water on their bed at 4 am, soaking it through.
The unemployed factory worker became verbally abusive, calling her a “slag” and making derogatory comments about her appearance.
At one point, he showed her pictures of models and mockingly said: “Look at these girls – why don’t you look like that? You’re disgusting.”
He then kicked her with the heel of his foot at least four times, causing swelling to the top of her left arm and bruising to the top of her right knee.
After Jacques ignored her pleas to stop, she gathered her belongings and said she was leaving. However, he stood in front of her, blocking her exit.
Eventually, she managed to leave the property and contacted the police, who arrested him.
She told officers that she had also been assaulted by Jacques a week earlier when he punched her in the head and back, calling her “dirty and disgusting” as he did so.
The court was told that the woman declined to make a victim impact statement, saying she didn’t like talking about the assaults because she was scared of him and what he might do to her.
Barrister Joseph Allman, defending Jacques, said his client had issues with cocaine and struggled with immaturity and impulsivity.
However, he had a plan to get clean. He had begun preparing for a fight at an “ultimate white tie boxing” event, which required him to be drug-free in order to compete.
“He starts training in September to fight in January,” he said. “Before he can fight, he must undergo a drug test.
“He is quite honest about where he is with his drug use. He is upfront about the fact he has a problem with drugs and has a plan to get things under control.”
Recorder Siddiqi told Jacques: “It must have been terrifying for her to be subjected to behaviour like that. You called her names and assaulted her. That is no way to treat someone you were in a relationship with.
“This was very serious. It was your partner you were treating in this way. You were body-shaming her and making other comments about the way she looked.”
In handing Jacques a 12-month community order, she said she was taking into account his age, the fact that he had no previous convictions, and that he seemed to acknowledge he needed to deal with his drug problem.
He was also ordered to attend ten rehabilitation activity requirement days and to enrol in the Building Choices programme.