York man jailed after smashing glass into woman’s face

A 37-year-old man from York has been jailed for 18 months after he was found guilty of assaulting a woman by hitting her in the face with a pint glass.

David Andrew White, of Chapelfields Road in York, pleaded guilty to wounding, but denied the more serious offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was found not guilty of the more serious offence.

White was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment of which he must serve nine months before he will be released on license. He was also with issued a 10-year restraining order to protect the victim.

Shortly after 1:30am on Friday 4 November 2022, police received a 999 call from a shop in York reporting that a man had entered covered in blood. This man was David Andrew White. He told staff that he and the victim had had hit each other over the head with a hammer and that he was going back to the address to make sure that the victim was ok.

When officers arrived at the property, they were met by White who had minor cuts on his hands. The victim was inside the property and was using a cloth to cover her face. On speaking with the victim, officers noticed that she had a deep laceration to her nose which was bleeding heavily. The victim disclosed that White was responsible for causing the injury and he was arrested. The victim required an operation to repair the damage to her nose.

The victim supported the investigation with a statement in which she told officers that she and White had been out. When they returned to the victim’s home address, White became verbally aggressive towards her. He began throwing the victims property about at which point the victim went into her child’s bedroom to try and get away from him. But he followed her and asked her for a cigarette when she refused, he then lashed out hitting the victim in the face with a pint glass which smashed and caused a significant injury to the victim’s nose. 

When White was interviewed he initially told officers that the victim had caused the injury to herself. He later admitted that this was not true and that he was responsible. He also said that he had forgotten that the glass was in his hand, he claimed that she was the aggressor and that she had caused the damage to her property, he had been trying to calm her down.

After the jury returned their verdict, Judge Simon Hickey said: “I don’t believe for a moment this woman would start smashing up her own furniture and her own flat. I just don’t find that credible.”

Lead Investigator, Anne Yates, of the York Investigation Hub at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Following this incident the victim had to undergo surgery to help rebuild her nose.

“It’s not just the physical damage that the victim has suffered as this has also impacted her mentally.

“I hope that the outcome at court will provide an amount of closure for her and allow her to move on from a difficult time of her life, safe in the knowledge that White cannot harm her.

“If you are a victim of domestic abuse – be that physical or mental - please do not hesitate to report it to the police. We will take action. We also work with other agencies that can provide you with support and advice. You could also help to protect other victims of abuse. ”

Domestic abuse can affect anyone regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or social background.

If you are suffering from physical, sexual, psychological or financial abuse, or are being threatened, intimidated or stalked by a current or previous partner or close family member, it’s likely you’re a victim of domestic abuse.

You're not to blame for what's happening. You're not alone.

You can report it via the  North Yorkshire Police  website or by calling 101. Always, call 999 in an emergency or if you are in danger.

If you’re not ready to speak to the police, there is a list of national and local support organisations on the website that can help you. Please search for ‘domestic abuse’.

IDAS

We work with IDAS who provide a range of services to support victims of domestic abuse. They are an independent charity who you can contact direct if you prefer not go through the police.

Clare’s Law

Under Clare’s Law you can request information about a partner or ex-partner’s previous offending, or you can request it if you are concerned about the partner of a friend or relative. Click here for more information.

What is domestic abuse?

The legal definition of domestic abuse is any incident of controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of their gender or sexuality.

This can include but isn't limited to physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and financial abuse. Domestic abuse also includes honour-based abuse and forced marriage.

The Crown Prosecution Service website has a breakdown of the  types of domestic abuse on their website.

Just one incident counts as abuse.