Old Colwyn man jailed for dragging girlfriend down road in car

Michael Caine, of Berth Y Glyd Road in Old Colwyn, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Friday afternoon.

The 23-year-old had admitted dangerous driving at a previous hearing - the offence having happened on April 11 last year in Orme Road, Bangor.

Ember-Jade Wong, prosecuting, told the court Hermione Deakin was the defendant's partner of more than four years at the time of the offence.

On April 10, she had gone to a party with friends.

Caine had become "fixated" with who she was meeting, where she was going and what she was doing, the court heard.

He drove out to Bangor in the early hours of the morning to collect her from the party, but she had changed her mind before he arrived and didn't want to leave.

When she went outside to speak to him and give him petrol money, she leaned into the vehicle to tell him of her intention to stay.

"No you're f****** not," he told her, and grabbed her by the throat.

With her body half in-half out of the vehicle Caine decided to accelerate, with witnesses saying they saw the wheels spin as he set off.

In her evidence, Ms Deakin said the ordeal lasted around 10 seconds.

When he stopped, she "hit the ground" and had sustained injuries to her knees, legs and feet.

Michael Caine. Image: North Wales Police

She also had bruising to her body, under her arms, and was described as "hysterical" in the aftermath.

In her victim statement, Ms Deakin said the injuries to her legs prevented her from walking for several weeks and she feels insecure about people seeing her legs due to scarring from the incident.

Chris Stables, defending, conceded that the complainant had been "dragged" along the road, but invited Judge Niclas Parry to consider that the distance and time the episode lasted for was shorter than the complainant's recollection - based on CCTV played to the court - and may have been as short as two seconds over a matter of yards.

But Judge Parry said the evidence of two witnesses at the scene suggest the incident was longer.

Mr Stables said: "The incident occurred against the background of a four-year relationship coming to an end.

"The defendant was extremely upset, and it was his fear that in the death throes of the relationship, the complainant was either being or was about to be unfaithful.

"He was highly emotional."

Judge Parry told the defendant: "Everyone thinks it, so I'll say it.

"The facts of serious cases such as these resonate with that dreadful case of a police officer dragged by a car to his death recently.

"You were in a temper because your partner dared to change her mind.

"You grabbed her round the throat with one hand, took hold of her mobile phone, and with half of her body in the vehicle you pressed the accelerator.

"She could have gone under that car. There could have been catastrophic injuries - or worse."

The Judge said while there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, the case was so serious that only immediate custody would suffice.

He jailed the defendant for 10 months, banned him from driving for two years and five months and imposed an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the complainant.