Wigan man slapped his partner then trashed her car after drunken row

Shaun Sutherland slapped Eleanor Hayes in the face and went on to damage her car to the tune of almost £1,400 after she fled to escape his aggressive behaviour.

In a hearing at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court, the 30-year-old, of Devon Road in Tyldesley, pleaded guilty to assault by beating and criminal damage.

The court heard that the couple, who have since separated, had been out drinking together on the afternoon of September 4 last year.

Ms Hayes left around 5pm to pick up her young daughter, and returned home.

Sunderland later came back to the property in a drunken state, and an argument broke out.

When Sutherland became abusive towards Ms Hayes, she said she would be leaving with her child.

When she tried to take the car keys, Sutherland stopped her, aggressively telling her she would not be leaving, and she was slapped in the face during the struggle.

She managed to flee with her daughter to the nearby pub, from where she called the police.

When she returned home with officers a short while later, she was devastated to find her car had been wrecked.

Windows had been smashed, the wing mirror had been broken and the car was dented all around, justices were told.

Sutherland’s blow to the front windscreen was so forceful that he had even cracked the dashboard, it was said.

It was estimated that the total cost of repairing the vehicle camer to more than £1,300.

A member of the probation service told the bench that Sutherland had been drinking since 1pm that day, and that the argument had erupted over Ms Hayes’s ex-partner.

She added that Sutherland later “could not really explain” his actions during the incident, and that there was no pattern of such behaviour recurring.

Defending, Bill Pearson told the magistrates how Sutherland tried to stop Ms Hayes leaving because he was concerned about her drink-driving with a child in her car.

“He accepts entirely that what he did was terrible,” Mr Pearson said, adding: “He can’t understand why he behaved in the way that he did.”

Sutherland was handed a 12 month community order, comprising 40 hours of unpaid work and four days of a rehabilitation activity requirement.

He must also pay court costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £85 and compensation of £1,385.