Girlfriend beater filmed attack
A thug who throttled his girlfriend at a boutique hotel and filmed part of the assault on his mobile phone has been spared jail.
Chris Warne, 25, dragged Georgia Bulpitt to the floor by her throat and sat on her at the Leicester House Hotel in Leicester Street, central London.
The couple, who have since broken up, were on a special Valentine’s weekend in the capital after rekindling their relationship.
After a day of drinking on 12 February they went back to the hotel and an argument broke out when Warne said he wanted to meet up with a friend.
He forced her to the ground by her throat, sat on her and then filmed her on his phone in an ‘extremely unpleasant’ attack, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Prosecutor Carly Loftus said the pair were previously involved in a relationship for two years and the trip to London was to reignite the romance after a three month break.
‘They were visiting London for the weekend and had spent the majority of their time drinking,’ she said.
‘They went back to the hotel to meet his friend, something she agreed to but an argument broke out when she asked him how long the friend was going to be.
‘He grabbed her by her throat, pulled her down to the floor by her throat and sat on her.
After letting her up Ms Bulpitt fell onto the bed and Warne started filming her.
‘He started filming her and started saying she was crazy,’ said Ms Loftus.
‘She ran from the room but realised she had no money or phone so she had to go and get her belongings and she called her dad.’
Staff were alerted by her screams and managed to get into the room call police and forced Warne to go downstairs.
Police arrived and recorded reddening to Ms Bulpitt’s neck on their body worn cameras, said Ms Loftus.
Warne tried to claim nothing had happened but Ms Loftus said the video footage taken from his phone showed Ms Bulpitt ‘clearly distressed’.
Ms Bulpitt later told police that Warne had previously assaulted her and it emerged he had been bailed on condition he did not contact her.
Warne also had a conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm on a previous partner in 2013.
The security guard claimed Ms Bulpitt had ‘started to smash the room up’ and had smashed a glass before he attacked her.
Magistrate Alexia Fetherstonhaugh told Warne: ‘This is an extremely unpleasant incident in our view, it was sustained assault.
‘You sat on her, held her down, she had significant marks on her neck some time after.’
‘This was an extremely unpleasant attack and you were filming her, that was an extremely unpleasant aspect of this incident.’
‘We will impose a community order for a period of 18 months, there will be a 45 day rehabilitation activity, a 45 day Building Better Relationships program and 80 days unpaid work.’
Mrs Fetherstonhaugh also handed Warne an indefinite restraining order not to contact Ms Bulpitt or attend her home address.
Warne, (3) Sugar Loaf Walk, Folkestone, Kent, denied but was convicted of assault by beating.
He was given an 18-month community order and handed an indefinite restraining order.
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