Telford man jailed for attacking his partner on Christmas Day
A man who was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison for two attacks on his partner, one of which took place on Christmas Day, said that new drugs had caused him to act strangely.
Magistrates at Telford heard that Christopher Odenwalder, 42, had been in a relationship for 10 years, but after moving in with his partner has become "volatile" and "jealous".
Prosecuting, Kate Price said that the couple had been fine until they moved in together.
Odenwalder, of Stanford House, King Street, Dawley, Telford, had become controlling, said Mrs Price and in July had assaulted his partner by punching her repeatedly in the face.
He received a suspended prison sentence of eight weeks in October last year.
Mrs Price said the latest assault occurred on Christmas Day after the couple had been visiting friends.
Odenwalder had insisted on leaving and the victim had collected their Christmas dinners to take with them but the defendant had thrown them on the ground outside in a rage.
Mrs Price said that the defendant was angry and had drunk five cans of lager and four cans of cider. He called the victim a "prostitute" and worse as they walked back to their home.
Odenwalder was demanding his methadone bottle and the victim let him in because she wanted to get back some money he owed her, said Mrs Price. The defendant pushed her hard, knocking her to the floor and pushing her down as she struggled to get away.
He had both hands around her neck and then ripped at her top and at her skirt, said Mrs Price who added that following the attack the victim was left with cuts to the bridge of her nose and bruises to her legs and neck.
On top of serving the full eight weeks of his suspended sentence for the first assault, Odenwalder was sentenced to a further 12 weeks in prison and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge. He was also given an indefinite restraining order to not go near the victim.
For Odenwalder, Mr Dean Easthope said his client had admitted his guilt on a basis of plea that had been accepted by the court, but not by the prosecution.
He admitted the assault, but denied he had put his hands around the victim's throat and said that some of the injuries claimed by the victim were not consistent with the attack.
Mr Easthope said Odenwalder suffered from nerve damage from an assault years ago and had changed medication for this some months earlier. He said that the victim had commented on Odenwalder's behaviour since the change in drugs, saying that it had changed.
