A MAN who attacked a woman twice and smashed her mobile phone – before trying to stop her from giving evidence against him – has been jailed for 21 months and recommended for deportation.
The Royal Court heard that Andrzej Sudol (33) was seen throwing the woman’s phone onto the street outside her home on the afternoon of 16 November last year.
Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, said a member of the public witnessed the incident and also found the woman clearly distressed and with bruises to her chest and arms.
The woman reported that Sudol had grabbed her by the neck and thrown her onto a bed in November last year. A police medical examiner found more than 30 injuries – most of them bruises – on the woman’s neck, chest, shoulder blade and arms. The prosecution did not argue that Sudol had necessarily inflicted all of them.
He was interviewed the day after the attack and denied grave and criminal assault, although admitted malicious damage in smashing her phone. He claimed he was not responsible for her bruises.
He was arrested and released on bail on condition that he did not contact the woman. However, Crown Advocate Carvalho said that he returned to her house the next day and, in the course of an argument, threw a glass ash tray at her, causing an injury to her left thigh.
In December, while on remand in La Moye Prison, he phoned a friend and asked him to try to persuade the woman to withdraw her statement to the police.
‘The friend told the police about the phone call,’ she said.
Sudol admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice but continued to deny the two charges of grave and criminal assault.
However, shortly before he was due to stand trial, he changed his pleas to guilty.
The Crown Advocate recommended 12 months’ imprisonment for the grave and criminal assaults and malicious damage and a further 12 months for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
She also said the Polish national met the preconditions for deportation, pointing out that his presence in Jersey was ‘detrimental to the Island’ and that no innocent people’s rights would be infringed if he was deported.
Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, did not dispute the recommendation for deportation. But she said of the assaults: ‘There was no premeditation. Both were unplanned. They were not sustained attacks.’
She also argued that 12 months for perverting the course of justice was too harsh, as more serious attempts to pervert the course of justice had been punished by the same sentence.
The Jurats sentenced Sudol to 12 months for the grave and criminal assaults and malicious damage and a consecutive nine months for attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae said Sudol was assessed as ‘at high risk of general reconviction’ and that as Sudol’s parents and siblings all lived in Poland, no one would be adversely affected if he was deported.
Jurats Kim Averty and David Le Heuzé were sitting.
After the sentencing, Detective Constable Sian Dupré said: ‘Thankfully a member of the public saw this nasty outburst and called the police who were able to intervene and help.
‘Behaviour like this should never be tolerated. We will do everything in our power to see offenders such as this face justice.
‘I hope today’s sentencing shows anyone else who has experienced similar abuse that they can come forward and speak to officers.’
