A man went on “a rampage" causing widespread damage and destruction at his partner's home after a row during a night out at a snooker club, a court heard.

Callum Bell had been drinking and taken cocaine on the lead up to the incident, at the home of his partner of only two months, in Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, on March 29.

Durham Crown Court was told they had been out at a snooker club the previous evening, but following a disagreement, Bell took her keys and went back to her home, locking her out.

When she turned up at 12.30am he refused to let her in, so she went to stay at her mother’s home.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) Later that morning she went to her house at 6.30am to collect some belongings but found he had smashed windows and furnishings.

Sam Ponniah, prosecuting, said Bell pushed her onto a bed, then dragged her off onto the stairs and threatened to kill her.

Bell struck her over the head with a mirror and used broken glass shards to assault her, throwing them at her, with some piercing her ankle area.

Accusing her of infidelity, Bell held a knife to her throat before causing further damage to a bedroom wardrobe and ripping off light fittings.

Mr Ponniah said the terrified woman managed to make an emergency call to police, but when Bell found out it made him even angrier and the victim feared she would be killed at his hands.

She managed to escape, though, via a living room window and ran back to her mother’s address, from where a further call was made to police.

Bell had left his partner’s address by the time officers reached the scene, to discover the widespread damage caused by the defendant.

He was only arrested on April 2 since when he has remained in custody.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) The 33-year-old defendant of Larch Terrace, Stanley, admitted charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage, but only on the day he was due to stand trial on a five-count indictment, on September 25.

His pleas were accepted by the prosecution, but the court heard the victim chose not to make an impact statement or seek a restraining order.

Mr Ponniah said the defendant has 10 convictions for 19 offences, but most are, “of some age”, with the most recent being in 2019 for a motoring matter.

Dan Cordy, in mitigation, said it had to be accepted that it was, “clearly unpleasant offending.”

Mr Cordy said: “I’m not here to make excuses for Mr Bell’s actions or offer any mitigation for what happened that night.”

But he said the defendant has been in custody for six-and-a-half months since the incident, with his previous violent offending dating from 2012.

“So, he’s not someone who is regularly before the courts.”

Mr Cordy said the defendant is, “not a lost cause” and has taken steps to avoid drugs while in prison and, “kept himself busy”.

(Image: The Northern Echo) He hopes his time in custody can help him put his offending days behind him, with a job awaiting outside upon release.

Judge Jo Kidd told Bell that while heavily intoxicated through a combination of alcohol and drugs the incident took place over an hour.

“It involved sustained violence against your partner in the address she shared with you.

“For about an hour you seemed to move through that house smashing anything that was made of glass.

“I have seen 140 photographs, with windows, light fittings, showers, mirrors, an i-pad and phone.

“You were on a rampage, determined to break anything made out of glass in that house.

“There’s an inherent danger in smashing glass, which posed a significant risk to your partner.

“She described you smashing a window over your head.

“It’s very lucky she did not receive more serious offences.

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“That’s a matter of good luck rather than intent on your behalf.

“She did sustain an injury to her leg with broken glass and she described her entire house being, ‘smashed to smithereens.”

Judge Kidd imposed a 21-month prison sentence which, in the circumstances, she said she was unwilling to suspend.