A WREXHAM man was handed a jail sentence for a jealous attack on a former partner fuelled by drink and drugs.

Jason Hannigan - of Heol Yr Eglwys in Gwersyllt – appeared before a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court on Wednesday, June 3 via video link where he was sentenced to 16 months behind bars.

Hannigan, 32, was charged with actual bodily harm (ABH) and criminal damage.

Matthew Curtis, prosecuting, told the court that Hannigan’s victim, Kaysha Jones, knew him for a total of about 15 years – of which they were in a relationship for nine years. The court was told that she had been aware of Hannigan’s previous conviction and imprisonment for assaulting a former partner but believed he had changed as a character and pursed a relationship with him.

Their relationship ended in July of last year and had little contact after separating until March 2020.

Mr Curtis says that Hannigan attended the address of his former partner in Gwersyllt to collect some belongings and had arranged to go out together following this on March 8.

Hannigan had brought his ex some flowers and the pair went for a meal and drinks in Wrexham together. It was said in Miss Jones’ statement of events that Hannigan had consumed more than 10 pints of lager, but she says their evening was ‘very nice’ and he behaved pleasantly towards her.

Later that night they arrived at her address where they were met with friends that claim they were invited around for a drink. However, the court was told upon seeing the pair outside Jones’ address that Hannigan became verbally abusive to the friends following which the friends decided to leave.

Jones had suspicions that Hannigan had taken some sort of cocaine after finding a plastic bag in the property that appeared to have previously contained the substance.

When she tried to leave the property due to feeling frightened of what might happen next, Hannigan grabbed Jones by the hair and dragged her to the bedroom. The court was told he threw Jones onto the bed and punched her repeatedly in the face after pinning her down.

Hannigan ignored her pleas to stop and restrained her further as she made attempts to break free.

Jones had her mobile phone thrown at her head after Hannigan scrolled through its contents before smashing the device. The court was told how a television in the room was also shattered.

Hannigan left the bedroom and Jones fearfully remained in the bedroom before he returned and got into the bed alongside her.

Jones lay there waiting for Hannigan to fall asleep and alerted someone that she needed help at 5.30am using his mobile phone. She contacted a friend who arranged for a taxi to take her away from the property as well.

Hours later, at about 9.20am, Hannigan was arrested at the property and refused to answer police questions in interview.

A restraining order was not requested due to Jones having contact with Hannigan’s children and it not being practical to impose one.

The defence, Simon Rogers, says that Hannigan acknowledges that this was a ‘deeply unpleasant incident’ and knows that a custodial sentence was the only justifiable outcome for his actions.

He recognises that Hannigan’s poor criminal history does him no favours – including previous charges of battery and violence – but asks for mitigation by saying that there has been a significant gap in offending, the last offence taking place in 2012.

He adds that early guilty pleas to the crimes should also be considered when lessening his sentence.

Judge Timothy Petts addressed Hannigan and said: “You went out for an evening with your ex-partner and thought you were having a nice evening together, however on returning to her house you abused friends she had invited round and became violent to her. You were under the influence of cocaine and had a lot to drink that night.”

He called it a ‘nasty incident of sustained violence’ that was ‘presumably motivated by jealousy’ when reading back the injuries inflicted on Jones and the damage to her property.

He passed his sentence based on the ABH and imposed no separate penalty for the criminal damage.