Man who punched a woman in the face after she tried to stop row in Northampton jailed for two years
A man who was having an ‘altercation’ with another man then punched a woman who tried to intervene in the face has been jailed.
The punch broke the woman’s jaw.
Northamptonshire Police said the incident happened in the early hours of September 1, when James Lee Hill, aged 40, was having an altercation with a man inside an address in Northampton.
A police spokesperson said: “During the incident, a woman tried to intervene, and Hill punched her in the face. As a result, the woman suffered a broken jaw and also lost a number of teeth.
“A police investigation was launched and Hill was arrested two days later after he was seen attending an unrelated trial at Northampton Crown Court,” the spokesperson said.
He was charged with one count of Section 20 – grievous bodily harm in connection with the assault on the woman, and one count of actual bodily harm in connection with the assault of the man he had the altercation with, police said.
After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court earlier this month, Hill returned to the same court last week (October 9) where he was sentenced to two years and one month in prison, the statement added. A five-year restraining order was also granted.
Lead investigator - Police Sergeant Abdul Salique, from the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “This was a brutal one-punch assault which resulted in our victim suffering very painful facial injuries that she is still recovering from today.
“I would like to thank both victims, for their support during our investigation, and I hope that the prison sentence handed to Hill provides them with a small sense of comfort and closure.
“In the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit, we are passionate about protecting people from this terrible crime and helping them move forward onto brighter things, and I want to reassure our communities that we will continue working hard to ensure more people like James Hill end up behind bars.”
Northamptonshire Police offer support to victims. If you need help please ring 101 or in an emergency – 999. If you would prefer to report online, you can visit www.northants.police.uk/ro.
If you have been a victim of a domestic abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965. Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.