A WOMAN who attacked her boyfriend with a gin bottle at a music festival has been spared jail.
Jenny Keepe claimed she had finally “snapped” due to what she said was Anthony Smith’s possessive and controlling behaviour.
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Keepe, 33, grabbed her ex by his face and used her manicured nails to scratch him on the arm before she hit him over the shoulder with the bottle.
During the assault, she was also seen to throw two drinks and ice water over Mr Smith and then punched him in the face.
He was left with bruising to his shoulder and scratches on his arm following the incident at the Together Again festival in the village of Tattenhall, Cheshire.
When quizzed, horsewoman Keepe, who lives on a 92 acre farm and stables compound near Runcorn, Cheshire, claimed Mr Smith had repeatedly accused her of cheating on him and she had “simply popped”.
She alleged he would track her location on her phone and her Snapchat account and tell her to drop her underwear so he could look for evidence of her sleeping with other men.
A court heard she had since been advised by police to speak to an officer specialising in domestic violence cases.
Mr Smith, who is in his 30s, initially gave police a statement but subsequently retracted it.
He said Keepe – who manages two bars in Warrington, Cheshire and is part owner of a nightclub – had been making ”untrue comments” about him to friends and business colleagues and he had subsequently been barred from pubs and clubs in the town.
At Warrington magistrates court, Keepe faced up to 16 weeks jail after she admitted assault but was fined £500 and ordered to pay £285 in costs and victim surcharge.
There was no order for compensation or a restraining order.
The incident occurred on July 25 when the couple attended the festival to watch headline acts Olly Murs and UB40 on the 6,000 acre grounds of the 19th Century country house Bolesworth Castle.
Elizabeth Browne, prosecuting, said: “They had a heated argument and the defendant grabbed the complainant’s face and dug her nails in causing scratches.
“The defendant then struck him on the shoulder with a gin bottle, threw two drinks and ice water over him and punched him in the face.
“The complainant had bruising to his left shoulder and scratches to his arm.
“It was witnessed by a security officer who saw the bottle strikes to the complainant and also the scratch, and the throwing of drink, and noticed the bruises on the complainant’s shoulder.
“The complainant has subsequently retracted a statement he gave but the defendant was interviewed and admitted the assault.
In his statement, Mr Smith said: “On the day of the incident, I was assaulted in a public place by a spirit bottle and I had a visible injury.
“My left shoulder was bruised and swollen and I had several scratches to my arm.”
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He said that since her arrest, Keepe had been contacting his friends and professional acquaintances in Warrington “making untrue comments about me” which had led to him being barred from several establishments in the town.
“Her behaviour has been intimidating,” he said. “I feel concerned about my safety when in Warrington town centre.
“The incident has massively impacted my work life and impacted my day-to-day life.
“I would like to make a restraining order. I feel it is the only way to protect myself.”
‘Extremely controlling relationship’
In mitigation, Keepe’s lawyer Miss Stevie Bate said: “This relationship was going on for two and a half years but according to my client she only realised since her arrest for these matters she was in an extremely controlling relationship with the complainant.
”As the officer even said after the interview that she should be making her own complaint about him.
“There were some extremely concerning behaviours towards her and she is going through that process.
”She has been invited to interview at Runcorn police station by a domestic violence officer.
“It seems there are previous convictions she was unaware of that he had.
“The police officer said if it could be dealt with by a way of caution they would have done but because of the domestic element that is why she is before the court.
Domestic abuse – how to get help
DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone – including men – and does not always involve physical violence.
Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship:
- Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to
- Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you
- Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten.
- Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent.
If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers:
Remember, you are not alone.
1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime.
Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
“In his initial statement provided to police, the complainant made reference to accusing her of cheating that is why the argument began.
“He said he feared that she was cheating for at least six months.
“She will say he was accusing her for 12 months, day after day, of cheating. She would deny that but he would not seem to accept that.
“He had her location set up on his phone, so he could keep track of where she was going to.”
He had her location set up on his phone, so he could keep track of where she was going to.
Stevie Bate
Miss Bate said that Mr Smith was also following Keepe’s location on Snapchat as well as looking on CCTV while she was at work when they were working together.
Miss Bate added: “This is shocking. He would get her to drop her pants to see if she was having an affair.
“These are the behaviours that she was dealing with for 12 months. Her mother tried to get her to leave much sooner.
“Until she was actually arrested she was in a bit of a bubble. She even said at the police station ‘I still love him.’
“It was only when the officer said ‘You have been in a mentally abusive relationship’ she thought, ‘yes, I think I have.’
“It was only after being interviewed that she realised that sort of behaviour was not love, it was the opposite. She has been mentally abused by him.
“They had been to a festival and they had been arguing shortly after they arrived.
“They had both being drinking. They argued again over the cheating allegation and she said she’d had enough.
“She had earlier said ‘I have paid for this event and I just want to enjoy it. Either we go to the festival separately or go as friends.’
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“Both were intoxicated. Neither had much to eat but quite a lot to drink. It is accepted by her that she had been intoxicated.
“If she had not been intoxicated she would probably not be here. Again he brought up the cheating allegation and she simply popped.
“She finally snapped after months and months and months of mental abuse from him and the constant accusations.
“She grabbed his face to try and say to him ‘Please stop it. Stop going on about it’ and tat is what started it.
“She is said to have grabbed him. She accepts with the empty bottle of gin she had hit him on the shoulder with that.
“She acknowledges that her behaviour was wrong. It is totally out of character and se accepts that she should not have assaulted him.
“But having now looked back on the relationship she now realises that she needs to be pursuing a complaint against him.
”She paid for virtually everything during the relationship.
“This conviction will be a significant punishment for her given what she has been through in the last 12 months.”
Miss Bate added: “She categorically denies that she made any comments.
“She has been told that bar owners do not want him there, it is nothing to do with her. It is previous issues in the past.”
JP Stephen Walton said: “There is no restraining order on this occasion.
“We do not feel that it is necessary or proportionate given that it’s a one-off incident. There will be no compensation either.”
