Leeds thug brutally beat his partner then 'hunted her down' armed with a Henry vacuum extension

Joshua Anderson was described at Leeds Crown Court as a “controlling and bullying” for subjecting the woman to a 90-minute ordeal after he accused her of cheating on him. The 31-year-old and the woman had been in a relationship since 2009 and had three children together.

But the court heard after she gave birth to their third, Anderson would become verbally and physically abusive. In recent years she tried to enter the relationship but he would turn up at her Seacroft home.

The on April 30 this year, she had been at a friend’s house party when Anderson continued to call her. He eventually arrived in a taxi at around 4.30am and she got into the vehicle with him. He began to accuse her of seeing another man and began hitting her repeatedly around the face, leaving her with a black eye.

He then picked up a balloon gas canister and struck her to the back of her head twice. She suffered lacerations as a result.

When they arrived at her home, he continued arguing and struck her again, two or three times, as their five-year-old witnessed the attack. When Anderson went upstairs, the woman fled the house but he chased after her, arming himself with the extension of a Henry vacuum cleaner.

She tried to hide and eventually raised the alarm by knocking on a stranger’s door.

Anderson was arrested and told officers they had had a “little fight”. He was later bailed with the condition not to contact the victim. But it was only a matter of hours before he began sending her messages on social media, making threats to kill among other sickening comments. He was re-arrested and has been held on remand since.

In a victim impact statement, she said she has been left in fear and said she could have been killed had she not ended the relationship. Anderson, of Landseer Mount, Bramley, has previous convictions including aggravated vehicle taking, battery and a caution for affray and robbery.

He admitted section 20 wounding without intent, possession of an offensive weapon and making threats.

Mitigating, Nicholas Hammond said the attack was not premeditated. He said that Anderson “did not have the best start in life”, often witnessing domestic violence at home.

He said that he required help and added: “He has had time to reflect over the last seven months to what he has done. He has matured to some extent. He recognises what he has done is wrong and expresses remorse.”

The judge, Recorder Adrian Langdale KC, jailed him for 34 months and said: “You refused to accept that the relationship was over. You attempted to hunt her down with a vacuum cleaner pole and you intended to use it to continue your assault on her.

"It was not a little fight, it was a brutal attack by you on a defenceless woman. It was prolonged and persistent and lasted well over one-and-a-half hours. It was appalling, controlling and bullying behaviour.”

Anderson was also handed a 10-year restraining order to stay away from the woman.