A Holme Valley man who broke into the home of his former partner and attacked another man who was staying overnight is today starting a lengthy jail sentence.

Leeds Crown Court heard Mark Robert Mellor used a spade to smash a kitchen window after seeing Martin McConnell’s jacket hanging over a chair.

Carmel Pearson, prosecuting, said Mellor’s former partner Jill Shooter had her two children in bed with her, while Mr McConnell was sleeping in the children’s room.

After shouting at her where Mr McConnell was, Mellor had found him in bed in the other room and attacked him, kicking him to the cheek.

Miss Pearson told the court yesterday (Mon) Mellor was wearing his steel toe-capped boots and delivered further kicks and punches to Mr McConnell whose memory of what happened was sketchy.

Mellor was dragged away by his former partner who saw Mr McConnell lying on the floor in a foetal position with his head covered in blood after he had struck it on furniture as he fell during the attack.

After she managed to get him out of the house she rang the police. Mr McConnell needed seven stitches to the wound to his head and was covered in bruises.

He told police he had seen Mellor a week before the assault and he had been aggressive towards him then. On that evening Mr McConnell had been drinking at her home along with Jill Shooter’s brother and his partner. He had stayed after they left in the early hours.

Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court

Since then Mr McConnell had returned to live in Ireland, partly because of the incident.

John Batchelor for Mellor said he went to the house regularly and that morning was looking after the dogs kept outside but was concerned when he saw the other man’s jacket.

He had been at the house earlier that night and believed he had been lied to and that the man was having an affair with Jill Shooter and had gone in to check on the children.

“You can imagine feelings were running high, “ said Mr Batchelor. “He will rue his behaviour for some time to come.

“He has accepted kicking and punching him but says the head injury was caused not by a direct blow but his falling and catching his head on the table.”

Mellor, 45 of Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth admitted wounding with intent and was jailed for five years four months.

Judge Simon Phillips QC told him: “This was a wholly inexcusable and unprovoked attack and he was left bruised and bleeding.”