A MAN who wrapped a cord round his girlfriend’s neck and strangled her three times so hard that she lost consciousness on each occasion is facing ‘a substantial period of custody.’
Aaron Medcraft had denied attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm on his victim with intent to cause her serious injury – claiming her injuries had been self-inflicted.
But after more than five hours a jury at Warwick Crown Court found him guilty by a unanimous verdict.
The 21-year-old, who is from Rugby but of no fixed address, had pleaded guilty to a further assault on his on-off partner, and was also convicted of damaging a bathroom door at her mother’s home.
Adjourning the case for a report to be prepared on Medcraft and remanding him in custody, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC warned him: “It will have to be a substantial period of custody.”
Prosecutor Justin Jarmola explained in January the victim had been trying to shut Medcraft out of her life and trying not to see him so her children, who had been taken into care, could return to her.
But she kept in touch with Aaron Medcraft with a secret mobile phone. Mr Jarmola told the jury only the victim knew why she did so.
The woman was staying at her mother’s home in Steele Street, Rugby, at the time, and on January 12 her mother, who ‘would never have allowed him there was away overnight.
The victim arranged for Medcraft to visit. Over two hours Medcraft ‘used extensive violence’ on his victim which Mr Jarmola said ‘took the form of various assaults on her.’
“She attempted to flee and to lock herself in the bathroom, but unfortunately this did not prove successful because he managed to break open the door.
“Aaron Medcraft decided to use a cord from an item of his clothing which he had deliberately removed to wrap it round her neck and strangle her with it.
“He did that on three separate occasions, and on each occasion he strangled her so hard that it caused her to lose consciousness.”
The jury heard the victim did not suffer any major harm but Mr Jarmola added it was “glaringly obvious that the intention Aaron Medcraft had was to cause really serious harm”.
The victim finally managed to get away from him and ran out of the house, but Medcraft pursued her and continued to assault her in the street by hitting and kicking her, added Mr Jarmola.
The jury heard that when the police arrived Medcraft was arrested in the house, and on the floor the officers found a length of cord which was put in his rucksack before it emerged that it had been used during the incident.
But Medcraft denied attacking his victim in the house, and asserted the marks to her neck had been self-inflicted.
When the victim gave evidence, Medcraft’s barrister Graeme Simpson suggested she had caused the marks on her neck which she denied.
After the jury returned their guilty verdicts, the court heard Medcraft had convictions for 20 offences, including a number of assaults.
Judge Lockhart pointed out the ‘starting point’ if grievous bodily harm had actually been caused, rather than it being an attempt, would have been 12 years.
