Liam Coulam, aged 29 and from Bilton Grove in East Yorkshire, confessed in court to harassment with fear of violence. Neil Coxon, the prosecutor of Hull Crown Court, stated that Coulam and his former partner had been in a relationship for more than a year, commencing in July 2021.
This harassment culminated in Coulam shoving the victim and causing her to suffer a concussion, as well as throwing her phone out of a moving car because “she did not show him enough attention”.
In January 2022, they had a disagreement after they started living under the same roof. The victim was perched on a stool when the defendant shoved her off, resulting in swelling and bruising to her head.
She delayed seeking medical help, but after suffering from headaches, she visited a doctor and discovered she had suffered a concussion. The doctor informed her that he had seen similar injuries in rugby players who had been tackled.
The victim lied to her doctor about how she sustained the injury, claiming it to be the result of walking into a lamppost, the court heard. However, in October 2022, they got into a heated dispute at home, and the victim attempted to escape by going upstairs, but the defendant chased her and shoved her. She noted that her wrist instantly looked “wonky”.
She went to the doctor a second time and discovered that her wrist was broken. This time, she divulged the details of how she got the injury. Mr. Coxon testified in court that from October 2022 to February 2023, Coulam had been making offensive remarks about the victim. On one particular occasion, while the victim was sipping from a glass of wine, Coulam snatched it away from her and poured it down the sink.
On February 16, 2023, the defendant and the victim went out to a bar after she wrapped up work for a few drinks. While they were at the bar, the victim had to take a call from her boss, which caused the defendant to become irritated as he complained he “wasn’t getting any attention”.
Despite having consumed five pints of alcohol, the defendant still got into his car and started driving back home with the victim in the passenger seat. During the journey, another row ensued and the defendant told the victim to alight from the vehicle. She began walking back towards Hull when the defendant pulled up next to her and yelled at her to get back in the car, to which she obeyed.
The terrified victim attempted to contact her son, but the defendant became furious and snatched her phone from her, throwing it out the window. The defendant abruptly stopped the car and the victim got out again to locate her phone, which had fallen into a ditch by the roadside. Coulam grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back into the car, then punched her in the face. The victim was unsure whether this was the first or second punch as it had all happened so fast.
In a victim personal statement read in court, she said: “I have had time to reflect and I feel angry and frustrated with myself. I can’t believe I let him treat me this way. This has left me blaming myself because I should have known better, but it’s him that needed to be better. I was with him for a year and a half. Initially, things were fine between us but I noticed he had a quick temper and I was at the receiving end.
“I would always be left shaken and not be able to process what happened. He never apologised for his actions, I would apologise and it made me wonder what had actually happened. I was left shaken and frightened. My son was upset and angry, he wanted to go to sleep with a hammer under his pillow and asked me to barricade the door because he was scared Coulam would come to the address.”
Mr Coxon informed the court that Coulam had a prior record of perpetrating a similar act of violence in a domestic setting. In 2019, he was in a romantic relationship with a female. One night while they were in the company of other people, he requested to view her phone, and when she declined, he struck her, shoved her and bit her finger. Additionally, he punched her multiple times in the face.
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