Concerned neighbours called the police after seeing his ‘distressed’ victim wearing only her pyjamas in the street
Darren Neild, of King Avenue in Bootle, aged 31(Image: Merseyside Police)
A domestic abuser told his ex-girlfriend “I’ll do 20 years” after he left her fearing she was going to die. Darren Neild flew into a jealous rage after he suspected that his former partner had begun a new relationship with another man.
This led to him punching and slapping his victim, leaving her struggling to breathe as he throttled her and with a broken jaw after he stamped on her head. Concerned neighbours ultimately called the police after seeing her “distressed, frightened and in shock” in the street while wearing only her pyjamas and with no shoes following the shocking assault.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Wednesday, that residents of Turner Avenue in Bootle dialled 999 in the early hours of January 29 this year, having spotted Neild’s shoeless ex Lyndsey Woodward in a “distressed” state in the street in her pyjamas. She went on to detail to officers how they had been present together inside an address when the defendant, whom she had been in a relationship with between May and October last year, noticed a text message which she had received from a male friend.
Frank Dillon, prosecuting, described how the 31-year-old, of King Avenue, then began scrolling through her phone while becoming “increasingly and aggressive” and accusing her of having an affair. Neild thereafter went on to slap her to the right hand side of the face before grabbing her by the throat, leaving her struggling to breathe.
Ms Woodward was repeatedly told “just tell the f***ing truth” as he held her face down into a pillow and placed his knees into her back so that she was unable to move. Having been able to run into the street and shout for help, she was followed outside and dragged back into the property by her former boyfriend.
Neild then punched her to the floor and stamped on her head, causing “overwhelming pain”. He subsequently fled the address amid the sound of sirens nearby, of which he asked “are they for me?”, chillingly remarking as he left: “The first smack was a warning. The second one, I’ll do 20 years.”
Ms Woodward was later taken to Aintree Hospital, where it was discovered that she had suffered injuries including a displaced fracture to the left hand side of her jaw. Neild would go on to bombard her with a string of calls and a total of 85 text messages throughout the remainder of the day.
His criminal record shows nine previous convictions for 17 offences, including robbery and drug supply matters. Jeremy Rawson, defending, told the court: “He has accepted the reality of the situation. He is expecting a custodial sentence. Certainly, there is remorse by entering his guilty pleas.
“He suffers from a long term medical condition which requires intensive treatment. It requires a number of drugs and a number of physical treatments, which are hit and miss, unfortunately, in prison.
“Since he has been remanded into custody, he has been engaging with Change, Grow, Live. He tells me that he has done a drug abstinence course and an alcohol abstinence course. He has shown that he is able to deal with matters in custody, and to deal with them sensibly.”
Neild admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intentional strangulation. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey Montirex tracksuit, he was jailed for 28 months and handed a five-year restraining order.
Sentencing, Recorder Nicola Daley said: “Police arrived and saw her in the street, shoeless, dressed in her pyjamas, distressed, frightened and in shock. You believed that she had been involved in another relationship, and you lost your temper as a result of that.
“She was terrified. She thought that she was going to die in that moment. She, quite unsurprisingly, describes the pain that she felt as being overwhelming.
“Your offending that night involved a sustained assault over a period of time. This was a serious offence in a domestic context, which makes it only more serious. Lyndsey is somebody that had trusted you in that relationship, even though the relationship had broken down.
“You are someone who has had both physical and mental health difficulties, including cystic fibrosis. It is particularly impressive that, notwithstanding those difficulties, you have participated in a 12-hour charity run since your remand to raise funds for the victims of the Southport atrocities. I take into account the difficulties that you experienced in your childhood.”