Suspended sentence for abusive boyfriend

A MAN punched and bit his girlfriend several times while they sat in a car outside a Cambridge hotel.

A court heard Robert Payne, 32, of Alice Bell Close, Cambridge, launched the attack on his then-girlfriend outside the hotel in Tenison Road at about 4.20am on Tuesday, 24 April.

A member of the public saw the violence and approached the car in an attempt to intervene, however Payne turned his anger towards the man and threatened him.

The man called the police but when officers arrived at the scene the car was gone.

The victim managed to message her friends later that day asking them to alert the police. Officers attended her home and he was arrested.

After his arrest, it emerged he was the suspect in two thefts from shops earlier on in the month. Payne was identified through CCTV images by officers as being responsible for the thefts, totalling more than £100.

Payne pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm, using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear and two counts of theft from a shop.

Yesterday (2 July), at Cambridge Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for ABH, reduced to 18 months for his guilty plea, two months for use of threatening behaviour and one month for each count of theft, all suspended for two years and to be served concurrently.

DC Martin Hardy said: “Payne is a dangerous man who has shown his violent nature.

“I’d like to commend the bravery of the victim for coming forward and also the member of the public who tried to intervene that morning.”