A MAN from Rhyl who caused his ex-girlfriend to barricade herself in a bedroom and run to their neighbour’s home to escape from him has been spared jail.

Wayne Simpson, 33, of East Parade, was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Mold Crown Court today (July 24).

He will also carry out unpaid work and an alcohol abstinence period, and was handed a restraining order.

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Prosecuting, Karl Scholz told the court that Simpson and Abbie Reece had been in a relationship for two-and-a-half years prior to the first incident in question, on February 17.

They had one child together, while Ms Reece also had two other children, from a previous relationship, living with them in Denbigh at times.

On February 17, she, her children, and Simpson went to visit her grandfather, before an argument ensued after stopping at Morrisons supermarket on their way home.

Ms Reece told Simpson she would walk home with her children, leaving him to drive back to their house alone.

As she arrived back home, she stopped to talk to a friend outside their house when she Simpson approaching, carrying a case of beer.

He then accused her of talking about him, with Mr Scholz saying that his “mood didn’t soften” afterward.

Within 15 minutes of their return home, Simpson asked Ms Reece to put the children to be, saying they were “irritating” him.

Simpson later kicked her seven-month-old puppy, before throwing a beer bottle at their kitchen wall and “lashing out” at Ms Reece.

He shoved her to the ground and kicked her right leg, which led to her going upstairs with her children and barricading herself in a bedroom.

She then made a “video call” to the father of two of her children asking for help, which Simpson became aware of as he came upstairs, saying: “Don’t get me arrested”.

Simpson began kicking the bedroom door forcefully to try to gain entry, with the children described as “cowering”, “very distressed” and “screaming”.

Police attended after they were called, and found Simpson hiding under a parked car outside their home before arresting him.

While enroute to St Asaph Police Station, he headbutted and kicking the Perspex screen of the vehicle he was in, and threatened to assault the two female officers in whose charge he now was.

A similar incident then took place in May, which led to Ms Reece running to her neighbour’s house in a bid to escape Simpson.

Simpson caused £56.64 of damage to a police vehicle following his arrest for that incident.

Defending Simpson, who had 10 previous convictions, Ryan Rothwell said he is “doing well” in full-time employment at a recycling centre, and is “earning a good wage”.

In references, the managing director of the company he works for described him as a “brilliant role model”, while a relative labelled Simpson a “great uncle”.

Simpson has “used alcohol as a crutch,” Mr Rothwell said, but has accepted counselling to try to address his alcoholism.

Mr Rothwell invited the court to suspend his custodial sentence, stating that this would be the “most constructive” course of action for Simpson.

Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry told Simpson that his behaviour towards police, on both occasions, was “vile”.

He ordered him to complete 300 hours’ unpaid work, a 35-day programme, and a 60-day alcohol abstinence period, which will be electronically monitored.

A restraining order, prohibiting him from entering Ms Reece’s address, mentioning her on social media, or contacting her in any way save for via a third party regarding child contact, was imposed indefinitely.

Simpson will pay £400 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as a statutory surcharge.

Judge Parry: “It’s a tough order. I’m going to have you back here on September 14 for review, in front of me, to see how you’ve done.”