Drunk man attacked girlfriend with a metal lampshade and threw TV at her

The pair had begun drinking the previous afternoon, but when girlfiend Janine Wastell finally went to bed at 8am the following morning, Steven Ralph Pilkington, 40, of Bridgewater Street, Hindley, went to a friend’s house nearby to continue.

And when a row erupted between them after he returned at 11am, he warned her, “Don’t start!” and then engaged in an orgy of destruction in the flat, smashing two televisions with his fist and ripping light fixtures from the wall.

He then turned his ire on Ms Wastell, striking her with a lampshade, throwing a TV at her, attempting to throttle her by grabbing her throat with both hands and then pulling her hair, said prosecutor Shazia Aslam.

He then followed her into the kitchen, pulled a carving knife from a knife block and waved it in her face.

In a statement to police, Ms Wastell said that the assault had left her “feeling sick and upset” and confused as to whether she wanted to continue in a relationship with Pilkington. She had suffered bruising to her neck and hands, while “clumps” of her hair had been pulled out.

On the day he was arrested, jobless Pilkington tested positive for cocaine.

He pleaded guilty to beating Ms Wastell and causing £2,500 damage to the flat.

Defending, Peter Moran said that Pilkington and Ms Wastell had been in a relationship for three years, had split up and then reconciled. But both, he believed, now hoped that they could settle their differences and start again.

He pointed out that Ms Wastell didn’t want a restraining order imposed on Pilkington, adding: “Maybe they will get together when this is concluded. The assault injuries could have been worse and Steven regrets everything that has happened very much.”

Justices sentenced Pilkington to two months’ prison, suspended for 12 months. Miss Wastell was granted £250 compensation, but no order was made for costs.