Durham woman hit by drunken attacker Daniel Coatsworth

Daniel Coatsworth carried out the attack, striking the victim at least three times to the face, before then turning on her teenage daughter.

The incident took place at a house he should not have been at, as it put him in breach of a restraining order relating to another woman present at the time.

Durham Crown Court heard that he turned up at the property asking for a lighter, on September 2, 2022.

Annelise Haugstad, prosecuting, said he was only there a short time before getting into a row with a woman outside.

When a relative of hers went out to ask what the argument was about, he turned on her and delivered the flurry of blows, fracturing a cheek bone and causing soft tissue injuries to the side of her face.

He also back-handed and pushed away the woman’s teenage daughter when she tried to intervene in support of her mother.

Miss Haugstad said although the defendant was not being dealt with for any violence on the teenage girl, it was considered “part and parcel” of the incident involving her mother.

Judge Jo Kidd said she would treat it as, “an aggravating feature” of the incident

Miss Haugstad said a neighbour who overheard the disturbance reported it to police.

When police got to the property, Coatsworth was found shirtless and shadow boxing.

He was arrested and when interviewed later, he denied attacking the woman and also said he would not hit a child, as, “it was not something he would do.”

But the defendant did concede, however, that he was under the influence of drink at the time.

The injured woman, who was left covered in blood, said she had not expected to be assaulted in such a manner.

She suffered a black eye and said she was concerned about her job, as she works with children.

Miss Haugstad said the woman’s daughter said she had suffered panic attacks since the incident, which had left her “angry and upset.”

The 31-year-old defendant, of Scargill Drive, Spennymoor, admitted a charge of unlawful wounding.

Details of his criminal record were outlined to the court, including a number of offences of violence dating back to October, 2009.

Robin Patton, for Coatsworth, told the court: “There’s a fairly obvious sentence here. It’s custody and it’s just a question of how long.

“In the cold light of day and when sober, there’s a clear message for the defendant.

“But, when someone is drunk and angry that message is diminished.”

Mr Patton said after a difficult upbringing, the defendant has not learned about “boundaries”.

“The fact is he has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and is addicted to drink and drugs.

“A lot of his offending is acquisitive, for drink and drugs, and undoubtedly he needs to see the personality disorder team (in prison).

“The first thing he has to do is to address his substance and alcohol misuse.

“If he doesn’t, then it’s going to be a cycle that’s going to repeat itself.

“The only way he’s going to keep out of trouble is to keep off the drink and drugs.

“Nobody can do that for him.”

Judge Kidd told Coatsworth he went to a street he should not have been at, due to the restraining order that was in place, and was “significantly intoxicated”.

“From the off you displayed a high-level of aggression to people living there.

“The victim did nothing to provoke you in any way.

“You became aggressive with her and punched her three to four times in the face and bust her nose, causing it to bleed heavily, for which she received hospital treatment and discovered she had sustained a cheek fracture due to the force with which you attacked her.”

Judge Kidd said apart from the physical injury, the victim was left psychologically harmed.

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She said the fact it took place in front of a teenage girl, seeing her mother assaulted, was, “extremely concerning.”

The judge said he had only been released from prison, on licence, a few weeks earlier, after a prison sentence for similar violent offending and she was concerned that,  “a pattern has been forming.”

She imposed a 32-month prison sentence, but reduced it to 24 months, as credit for the defendant’s guilty plea at the plea hearing in the case.