Man broke woman's collarbone in dancing video row
Cleveland PoliceA man broke a woman's collarbone on her birthday night out after she accused him of filming her dancing, a court has heard.
Trenton Spriggs, 23, repeatedly punched the 25-year-old, threw her into a car and dragged her along the ground outside a Middlesbrough pub in November, Teesside Crown Court was told.
The woman said the attack had left her unable to pick up her new baby and she would never feel "carefree" on a night out again.
Spriggs, of Quebec Grove, Middlesbrough, was jailed for four years and three months after admitting wounding with intent and criminal damage, having smashed the woman's phone after she dropped it.
Prosecutor Philip Morley told the court the woman and Spriggs were out with different groups that met late in a pub on 8 November.
She was celebrating her birthday and at one point danced on a table, the court heard.
An argument erupted when she accused Spriggs of filming her on his phone and continued after they went outside, Mr Morley said.
As she remonstrated with him, Spriggs punched her twice to the face and threw her into a parked car, before attempting to kick her as she lay on the ground, the court heard.
He then dragged her along by her legs before a woman intervened and separated them, Mr Morley said, but Spriggs followed the victim shouting abuse as she walked away clutching her arm.
'Brave young woman'
In a statement read to the court, the woman said what started as a "good night" had turned into a trauma.
As well as the physical injury which required surgery, she said she had also suffered mentally with nightmares and flashbacks disrupting her sleep and ability to look after her child.
She said she felt helpless and "in agony all the time", adding she did not feel safe to leave her home.
"These are the years I should feel carefree, this has been stripped away from me," the woman said, adding she would never be "comfortable" on a night out again.
"This has made me realise how quickly your life can change through someone else's actions," she said.
Judge Geoffrey Marson KC said the attack was "wholly disgraceful and unjustified" with Spriggs losing his temper and reacting in the "most violent way".
He said the assault would have continued if a "brave young woman" had not stepped between Spriggs and his victim.