Wigan man avoids jail for masked campaign of terror against his ex-girlfriend

Andrew Junior Harris, of George Street in Hindley, was given six suspended sentences after pleading guilty to two counts of assault and four counts of criminal damage.

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The 29-year-old appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, three months after carrying out the horrifying series of attacks.

The court heard that on Saturday May 4 at around 8.15pm, the victim (Harris’s ex-girlfriend) was at home in Bickershaw with her new partner.

The pair were watching a DVD upstairs when Harris, wearing a white mask, smashed through the patio door with a skateboard.

Terrified, his victim rang 999, during which time Harris stepped through the smashed door and punched her in the side of the head so hard it caused a lump.

He fled through the damaged window.

In the early hours of the following morning, at around 3.30am, Harris returned to the house. This time he kicked the front door open, causing damage to it, before grabbing his victim by the hair.

Around half an hour later he returned for a third time and threw something at the kitchen window, causing the outer glass panel to shatter. Harris then punched through the remaining pane, smashing that too.

As a final blow to his petrified ex, the masked attacker returned for a fourth and final time at 5am.

On this occasion he was seen by his victim standing outside the damaged kitchen window, at which point he threw a brick into the house, narrowly missing her new partner’s head.

During his campaign of violence, Harris caused £1,000 of damage to the front door and kitchen windows and £330 of damage to the back door window and chain.

He was sentenced to four months in prison for both assault charges, with each sentence to run concurrently and both suspended for 12 months.

For the four counts of criminal damage he was given four two-month sentences, each to run concurrently and also suspended for a year.

The bench also imposed a restraining order for two years and Harris has been banned from entering the victim’s street.

During his 12-month community sentence, Harris will be required to carry out 20 days of rehabilitation activity.

He has also been ordered to pay compensation of £730 which covers injuries to the victim and damage to her home.