On Thursday, Christopher Crotty made an appearance at Liverpool Crown Court. After a trial, he was found guilty on one count of assault resulting in serious bodily harm and on two charges of publishing private information without permission.
The prosecution’s Thomas McLoughlin said the court that on September 26, 2021, Crotty visited his ex-partner and their child at her home address. The evening got off to a good start with the ex-partners sharing a drink and Crotty getting to see his kid before the infant was put to bed.
According to Mr. McLoughlin, “the drink served as a catalyst for the defendant’s aggressive behaviour, and he started to accuse her of being unfaithful.” The victim went upstairs to get ready for bed, but when Crotty started playing loud music, she rushed back down and told him to stop.
She was thrown into a coffee table and was, without a doubt, terrified, he continued. He hit her, making her bleed, as she struggled to stand up, and then shoved her, giving her a graze on her left leg.
While the youngster was inside the house, Crotty continued the assault in “fits and bursts” by hitting, kicking, and yanking the victim’s hair. After a while, Crotty left, but not before securing the victim’s phone and taking it with him.
Later, after he had the phone unlocked, he discovered the victim had taken some intimate photos that he had not intended for anyone to view. Along with other disrespectful texts, the 35-year-old gave the victim’s mother and brother the photographs.
In addition to abusing the trust by releasing those images, the defendant, according to Mr. McLoughlin, did so in a way that would cause as much anguish as possible. The victim described her injuries and the effects of the incidents still being felt in a victim impact statement.
I was made to feel helpless and pitiful, and he led me to believe that he was the only person who cared about me while, in fact, the reverse was true. He simply used and manipulated me.
The court was informed that Crotty had asserted during the trial that the victim had injured herself. He has committed 33 infractions in the past, including four crimes against people, totalling 23 prior offences.
“Of course, this was a shameful incident and of course, she would have suffered pain and distress, but it is evident that the actual physical injuries were hard to determine,” defence attorney Anthony O’Donohoe said. Not to minimise the offence, but it does make it easier to evaluate the case as a whole.
According to Mr. O’Donohoe, Crotty felt “betrayed by the images” and acted without thinking about the repercussions. He made sure to emphasise that his client was a “complex and occasionally difficult individual” who lacked “consequential thinking abilities.”
District Judge Gwyn Jones explained after the sentencing that the victim and Crotty had broken up and that he had been visiting to see their child. Things deteriorated further, he stated, adding that you continued to act in a domineering manner towards her.
“You treated her in such a way that she felt unsafe in the house she was living in,” you said. A portion of the victim’s trial testimony was incorporated by District Judge Jones into his sentencing remarks.
“I was hit from behind and I went to the ground,” the victim had stated. He grabbed me from behind and punched me two or three times with his fist when we were in the living room.
She went to the floor, and you restrained her, the judge continued. In addition to kicking her twice in the left ribs after concluding that you might use unlawful force against her, you claimed that she made you do it and that it was her responsibility.
Crotty, of Kremlin Drive, Tuebrook, received a 27-month prison term and a restraining order prohibiting him from getting in touch with the victim or her mother.
