Suspended sentence for man who punched girlfriend

George Cunningham, 25, of Deerfield Road, March, had been in a relationship with his partner for three years.

The woman told police how Cunningham began arguing with her after he suffered a family bereavement in December 2018.

The arguments continued and eventually resulted in Cunningham attacking the woman in November 2019.

He hit her with his fists and hands and also used a near-empty plastic drinks bottle.

The woman was left with extensive bruising but the assault only came to light after the woman confided in a family member, who told her to call the police.

Cunningham was subsequently arrested and in police interview, offered no comment to all questions asked of him.

Today (23 July) at Peterborough Crown Court he was handed a ten-year restraining order after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) at a previous hearing.

Cunningham was also sentenced to 13 months in prison, suspended for 40 months, and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

DC James Bennett, who investigated, said: “This was a nasty assault and the victim did exactly the right thing in confiding in someone close to her and calling the police.

“No-one deserves to be abused, especially in their own home, and I would like to thank the woman for trusting us to bring Cunningham to justice for his actions.

“Domestic abuse often hides behind closed doors, but I hope this case sends a clear message that we are there for victims and will do all that we can to protect them.”

Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse is urged to contact police on 101 or call the national domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247. For more advice and support on domestic abuse, visit www.cambs.police.uk/domesticabuse.