Sheffield Crown Court: Thug left ex-partner 'petrified' during attack weeks after restraining order imposed

Defendant Daniel Ball had been freed from prison for a matter of weeks for offences, including one carried out against his former-partner, the complainant, when he attacked her in the early hours of December 4, 2022, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Ball was prohibited from contact with the complainant at the time of the attack, due to a five-year restraining order granted at five weeks earlier, when he was also sentenced to six-months’ custody. However, Ball was immediately released from prison, due to time already served.

Prosecuting barrister, David Eager, described, how in the hours prior to Ball, of Scarsdale Street, Dinnington, carrying out the attack, the complainant had spent the evening at the home of Ball’s aunt, who was a friend of hers. Mr Eager said Ball subsequently turned up at the address, but stated there was no suggestion he was aware the complainant was there, or that he had attempted to seek her out.

Mr Eager continued: “She [the complainant] was sat on the sofa at that address with another male, who hasn’t been identified…the defendant, in drink – he said he had drunk 20 Stellas – attended at that address.”

“Instead of withdrawing [when he saw the complainant was present]…he did quite the opposite. He started shouting at her, accusing her of having relations with the other gentleman who was there. He said she was a ‘s**g’…she was petrified of him.”

Mr Eager said Ball, aged 33, stood in the doorway of the room, effectively preventing the complainant from leaving, and proceeded to throw a coffee table across the room, before picking up a camping chair and hitting her in the face with it.

The complainant attempted to leave the room, but Ball prevented her from doing so, and on the second occasion Ball held her neck ‘applying pressure and trying to move her away from the door,’ explained Mr Eager, adding that ‘matters came to a head when the police were called by a third party’.

The court heard how police arrived some 90 minutes after the phone call was made, and after Ball initially refused them entry, they managed to gain access to the property and found the complainant hiding under a duvet in a bedroom at the property.

Mr Eager referred the judge, Recorder Anthony Dunne, to pictures taken of the complainant following the attack, which show ‘swelling and bruising’ to her face.

In a statement read to the court, the complainant described how she has ‘struggled’ since the attack took place, suffers from ‘flashbacks,’ and has found it difficult to sleep.

“I feel I’ve got to be careful walking around in public...I know there’s a restraining order in place, but I worry it’s not enough and he won’t pay attention to it,” she said.

The court was told on May 30, 2023, that Ball has a criminal record of 11 convictions for 21 offences, a number of which were committed against the complainant, including one offence he was on licence for at the time of the attack.

Ball subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of common assault and breaching a restraining order.

Defending, Daniel Ingham, said Ball has spent just short of six months in custody on remand following his arrest, and has spent it engaging positively with prison schemes, including one in which he helped to offer advice to inmates experiencing mental health problems.

Recorder Dunne described Ball’s breach of his restraining order as ‘serious’ and jailed him for 18 months. He also put a new, 10-year restraining order in place to protect the complainant.