A former soldier assaulted his 17-year-old female friend, and left her with a broken tooth as well as bruises on her head and toe.Police told violent killer Steven Purkhardt, 37, to keep away from the vulnerable teenager on the same day he assaulted her Preston Crown Court heard.Mr Malone prosecuting, who was the youngster was subjected to safeguarding protocols and on March 1 2021, police served Purkhardt with an Domestic Violence Prevention Order, Thug beat his girlfriend.
The next day, the couple had a heated argument and the teenager stated to Purkhardt who is from Bridge Road, Preston, she didn’t want to spend any more time with him the prosecutor, Mr. Malone prosecuting, who was in the court.The male held her by her hair and pulled her down to the floor where he snatched her by her wrists, and then hit her on the jaw, head, and face. When he smashed her on the sides of her face, the girl smashed her head against a cabinet and slammed her head on the back onto the ground.
The girl was able to leave the premises, however, when she returned a little while after, Purkhardt attacked her again. He kicked her in the face, which caused her to loose a part of her tooth. He also she was slapped on the stomach and in the breast region.
A friend heard the child screaming and phoned the police. As officers arrived, Purkhardt was hiding in an unoccupied bed. She claimed that she fell, which resulted in injuries.Recorder Jon Close, sentencing the case, stated: “This was a cowardly and ridiculous excuse, as when she was admitted to the hospital, she was found to be suffering from injuries from head to toe. She was 17 years old.”
The girl was transported to the home of a friend and she raised concerns with an official from the social work department regarding the severity of the girl’s injuries.When police questioned her, the girl claimed that Purkhard was a victim of attack one day in March, and another time about four or five months prior in which he put her to the ground and took her throat.
She claimed that on the day that the suspect had gone to purchase drugs following having a night out and had attacked her after the returned to his home. Purkhardt was detained and made no response to questions by the police. He initially denied the charges of assault common to the area and assault causing bodily injury, but changed his plea later on his day when he was scheduled to be tried. Thug beat his girlfriend As part of the bail conditions, he was told to be away from the victim , however the victim was detained for breaching the order. He is currently in custody until he was sentenced is served at Preston Crown Court on Thursday (January 13).
Rachel Woods, defending, stated that he’s been given an 18-month sentence under the remand, which gave him the opportunity to confront his alcohol-related issues – which are the basis of his criminality. She claimed that drinking turned Purkhardt “from an upright and pleasant person to one who has a tendency to be aggressive and violent, particularly toward women with whom he’s in a relationship”.
Recorder Close in sentencing, stated: “The victim was 17. She was your girlfriend , and she was a fragile young girl. You were barred from close to her as a an outcome of the police’s intervention as well as bail. Doctors said she was suffering from bruises from head to the toe. She was 17 years old. When she made her statement to the police, she said it was not the first time you assaulted her. Thug beat his girlfriend , “You have reached the age of 37 and have six convictions for 11 crimes and most alarmingly, they all involve alcohol or prior instances of domestic abuse. The report prior to sentence says that your victim is vulnerable to abuse and manipulation.”
He added that domestic violence is seen as a particularly serious issue in the justice system because it often escalates. “Domestic abusers often end up killing their victims as the they the level of their progress” said he said.However the recorder Close stated that Purkhadt was serving about the same amount of time as an 18-month prison sentence , and he was granted the community order that would allow to continue working with him after the time comes for his release.
