Abuser jailed for threats hours into relationship

A judge said Dean Coleman posed a danger to women

A "dangerous" domestic abuser with a history of harming his partners has been jailed again for threatening a new woman and attacking her neighbour within hours of meeting her.

Dean Coleman, 31, bombarded a woman he wanted to date with threats to kill and smashed his way into her neighbour's home, repeatedly punching the man inside, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Judge Penny Moreland said Coleman, who previously hit an ex-partner with a hammer, was a danger to women he was in relationships with.

He admitted assault, harassment and intentional strangulation and was jailed for five years and seven months.

Coleman, of Holly Avenue in Dunston, Gateshead, messaged a woman he had known for a while to ask if she wanted to meet up on 20 January 2024, prosecutor Andrew Walker said.

She agreed and the pair kissed, but Coleman started to strangle her to the point where she could not breathe, the court heard.

After she forced him off and told him to stop, Coleman replied he thought she would like being choked, which Judge Moreland said was "concerning behaviour".

'Done him in'

Coleman became angry when the woman said she would not be his girlfriend and over the following hours deluged her phone and social media account with messages, many of them threatening, the court heard.

"Over a period of less than 72 hours, [Coleman] showed himself to be jealous, possessive, aggressive, threatening and ultimately violent," Mr Walker said.

Having sent the threatening messages, Coleman went to what he thought was the woman's home and smashed his way in through the front door, the court heard.

The house was actually that of the woman's neighbour and he was terrified when Coleman stormed into his home and started to attack him, the court heard.

Coleman repeatedly punched the man and took his phone, before messaging the woman to say he had "done" the man in, which he appeared to find "amusing", the court heard.

'Bad record'

Coleman had a history of violence against partners, the court heard, and in December 2018 attacked a woman with a hammer and smashed up her home, having ignored court orders banning him from contacting her following previous assaults.

He admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for four years with a further year to be served on extended licence, the court heard, after being deemed a dangerous offender by a judge.

But upon his release he committed offences including criminal damage and harassment against another woman after starting a relationship with her.

Judge Moreland concluded Coleman remained a dangerous offender, adding he had a "bad record" of offending against women he was in an "intimate relationship" with.

He will have to serve a further two years and five months on extended licence after he is released.

Restraining orders banning Coleman from contacting the woman or her neighbour were also made, to last indefinitely.