Jail for spurned Black Country lover who attacked and threatened to kill former girlfriend

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that Ryan McGough threatened to kill the woman during the assault.

McGough, aged 23, of St Paul's Road, Smethwick, was jailed for 13-and-a-half months after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and making threats to kill.

The court was told he attacked the woman after it was said she had been seeing his brother.

Mr Mark Phillips, prosecuting, said the assault happened on February 12 when the victim was asleep at home in Oldbury, when she was woken by McGough.

"She was astonished he was in the room, and shouted 'how did you get in?'," Mr Phillips told the court.

"He said it didn't matter how he got in, and grabbed her mobile phone before she could do anything, and put it in his right trouser pocket."

Mr Phillips said he began shouting abuse, saying I'm going to kill you', and said 'who's been in here?'

Mr Phillips said neighbours heard a female voice saying 'stop it'.

Police were called, and they arrived to find the victim standing outside the block of flats clutching her baby, with bleeding to her face.

Mr Phillips said McGough admitted assaulting the woman, but said he had hit her with an open hand rather than a clenched fist.

"He said he was under intense emotional stress, and that he suffered from depression."

Mr Phillips said McGough had a number of previous convictions, and had been jailed for three years in 2008 for his

Miss Geraldine Toal, representing McGough, said McGough had not gone to the flat with the intention of attacking the woman, but rather had planned on confronting his brother who he expected to be at the flat.

She said he had been devastated to find out that the pair had been been seeing each other.

Miss Toal said that while McGough had previous convictions, this was his first offence of domestic violence.

She added that he had been in custody since the date of the offence, the equivalent of a 16-month sentence.

Recorder Mr Balraj Singh Bathia said the attack had left his victim with extensive injuries to her face.

"You must appreciate how frightening this was for her," he said.

"A combination of circumstances may have meant you had every reason to be unhappy the situation, but that was not the way to go about it."