Darren Brown previously breached a court order banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend
Darren Brown previously breached a court order banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend
A bullying boyfriend who flouted court orders banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend went onto breach his suspended sentence after he returned to terrorise her for a third time.
Darren Brown, 41, called his former partner Carla Kennedy in the early hours of October 26 last year, called her “a slag and a rat”, and threatened to “petty bomb” her house.
At around 1.50am, he sent her a video taken outside a shop close to her house, along with the ominous words: “Be ready”. A short time later, he arrived at her property and started pounding and kicking her front door. He was arrested at the scene.
Ms Kennedy, who had ended her relationship with Brown just three weeks before the incident took place, said in a statement: “I have suffered with really bad anxiety having panic attacks and have been put on medication for anxiety since the incident, and it has also affected my blood pressure. I’m feeling very vulnerable and I can’t go out.
“I’m having flashbacks and even dreaming about it. I hear a bang and I panic so much I’m shaking and it’s happening every day. I’m really not coping with everyday activities.
“I’m having panic attacks in the car and sweating because I’m panicking that much. I’m scared with him on bail. I only have to look at the door and I start panicking.”
Brown, of Raydale Close, Walton, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, April 22, where he pleaded guilty to threats to destroy property, criminal damage, and causing violence to enter premises.
The court heard that Brown, who has seven previous convictions for seven offences, had been in breach of a suspended sentence at the time of the incident, having previously breached a non-molestation order banning him from contacting Ms Kennedy.
Olivia Bell, defending, said the 41-year-old had breached orders not to contact Ms Kennedy in November 2022, but the pair had rekindled their relationship in August last year after the order came to an end. However, the relationship quickly broke down again due to Brown’s drinking.
She said: “These are the shameful actions of a man aggrieved by the breakdown of his relationship. This was predominately cased by his issues with alcohol.
“Before these offences he had moved back in with the victim, but things started to fall apart due to his drinking. He was drinking six pints of lager a day and he drank so much that ultimately his recollection of October last year remains very poor.
“The alcohol has not only affected his relationship but his employment, as he lost his job six months ago. His drinking does remain a problem and this is something he would like to get help with.”
She said Brown, who worked as a labourer for 20 years, hoped to return to employment and seek help for his drinking problems and depression.
Sentencing Brown, Judge Louise Brandon said: “This is the third set of offences committed against Carla Kennedy. She suffered health problems, she feels very vulnerable, she’s terrified you are going to come back, she cannot function with her day to day tasks, and her children have suffered also.
“It’s very well saying you would never had done what you threatened to do, but when you subjected Ms Kennedy to the behaviour she suffered at your hands previously, how would she know?
“You accept you have problems with alcohol and drugs, you have lost everything, but you are still drinking. You know your drinking is a problem, but you haven’t done what you know needs to be done to address that.
“You are assessed as low risk of reoffending but I cannot accept that, given this is now the third set of offences against Ms Kennedy, and you are a risk of harm to her if you do reoffend.
“Ms Kennedy needs protecting from you and I have no confidence, given the history that you have, that you would comply with any order that the court would impose.”
She sentenced Brown to a total of 20 months in prison, and also made a 15-year restraining order banning him from contacting Carla Kennedy.
