King’s Lynn man kicked, punched and threw partner to floor – as well as breaking her TV

A 22-year-old kicked, punched and threw his partner to the floor – as well as breaking her TV.

Shay Mayes, of Riversway in North Lynn, appeared at the town’s magistrates’ court on Thursday charged with three offences.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating, as well as to one of criminal damage to property valued under £5,000.

Crown prosecutor Lily Orr told magistrates that both of Mayes’ assault offences were committed against his ex-partner.

On October 23 last year, he threw her to the floor and kicked her, causing bruising to her legs.

He then picked up a coffee table and hit her with it, and continued to do so until the table itself broke.

Then, on February 22 this year, the victim attempted to have Mayes leave her home address following another argument. He subsequently broke a 32-inch Toshiba television valued at £170.

She attempted to slap Mayes, but he retaliated by punching her on the ribs. The victim refused to go to hospital at the time, but later attended on March 12. She had bruising on her arms and her legs when she did so.

Miss Orr told magistrates that Mayes “held his hands up” to the offences at the time, and said he had been coming down from a cocaine high during one of them.

He was said to have reacted badly to being called a “waste of space”, and was a man of previous good character.

In mitigation, Ruth Johnson said that both Mayes and his partner were “prolific” drug users – with the victim said to have been a ketamine user.

“She accepts that she used unlawful contact, but it was his reaction which was not needed and disproportionate,” the solicitor said.

“Had it not been as a result of drug use, they both would have perhaps dealt with it in a different way.”

Miss Johnson added that Mayes has made some “incredibly positive changes” to his lifestyle, no longer using cocaine and instead “misusing cannabis from time to time”.

Magistrates, led by Ginny Hutton, put Mayes’ case on hold until September 6 in order for probation services to carry out a pre-sentence report.

He will return to court on that date, and was released on conditional bail in the meantime.