A ‘CONTROLLING’ Rugby man assaulted his ex-partner and began to smash up her home ‘so she would not have anywhere safe to live with her young children.’
And jailing him for a total of two years and two months, a judge at Warwick Crown Court told Philip Darcy he should be ‘thoroughly ashamed’ of his behaviour.
Darcy, 27, of Borrowdale, Rugby, had pleaded guilty to harassment, common assault on his ex-partner and a friend of hers, causing damage and two charges of assaulting emergency workers.
Prosecutor Graeme Simpson said that Darcy had been in a relationship last year, but by September it had deteriorated because of his drinking and his behaviour.
In September, Darcy’s then partner went to stay with her mother to celebrate her birthday, but Darcy was not happy about that.
They were in contact on her way home, and she made it clear to him that the relationship was over.
She was met at Rugby railway station by a female friend who drove her home where they found Darcy waiting – and she again made it clear the relationship was over.
Darcy refused to accept that, and after leaving he came back and angrily asked her: “Are you joking?”
As her friend, who had tried to reason with Darcy earlier in the day to get him to accept the situation, tried to stand between them, he grabbed his now ex-partner by her throat.
And when he let go, he then pushed her friend, causing her to fall against a table.
The women left, and when they returned they found Darcy had smashed two internal doors and a window, saying he had done it so his ex would have nowhere safe to live with her children.
As the case was being outlined, Darcy kept making comments under his breath, at which Judge Anthony Potter declared: “However controlling he has been of other people, he is not controlling this court. He will remain silent.”
Mr Simpson said that at the beginning of November Darcy sent his ex-partner 33 messages saying he was going to kill himself, and one telling her he was ‘bleeding out.’
Ten days later he made several calls to her, in one of which he threatened he was going to get her – and two days after that he called her no fewer than 128 times.
After he was arrested on November 15, Darcy admitted making contact with her, despite being prohibited from doing so, but denied making threats.
The arrest had taken place at the Holly Bush pub in Rugby, where he was living at the time, and after being allowed to go outside for a cigarette, he became abusive on being asked to go back inside.
He swore and head-butted one of the officers to the face, and when he was taken to the ground to be restrained, he bit another on his arm, breaking the skin.
Mr Simpson said Darcy, who later made further threats, had previous convictions including five offences of assault, and in 2019 he was sentenced for the harassment of a previous partner and smashing up his own mother’s home.
David Everett, defending, said: “Mr Darcy knows he will receive a custodial sentence today.”
He said Darcy had ‘gone off the rails and begun drinking again,’ after his ex-partner had suffered a miscarriage.
The judge commented: “Consistently blaming outside events or other people for his behaviour does not impress the court.”
Jailing Darcy, Judge Potter told him: “Society is tired of your behaviour and your inability to understand the courts will not accept violence and threatening behaviour by people like you who take out their feelings of inadequacy by assaults on females.
“You having just a year before behaved in a controlling manner towards a previous partner and made to her threats of the kind [the victim] had to listen to.
“You strangled her, leaving marks on her neck, and then turned your attention to her friend.
“Then, having been left in the house, when [the victim] returned to her own home, you smashed up her home, as you had your own mother’s home just a few months before, telling her you were going to make sure there was nowhere safe for her to live.
“You should be thoroughly ashamed of that.”
