Man downed litre of vodka in 20 minutes before throttling partner

Wales Online

28-05-2025

Man downed litre of vodka in 20 minutes before throttling partner
Grant John's barrister told the court the father-of-five is "ashamed" of what he did
Grant John
(Image: South Wales Police )
A man downed a litre of vodka in 20 minutes before attacking his partner, a court has heard. Grant John then got behind the wheel of a friend's car and "chose" a parked vehicle to crash into.
The defendant's barrister told Swansea Crown Court that the father-of-five was "ashamed" of what he had done and that he wanted the court to know he is a "different person when not in drink". A judge told the 37-year-old defendant that custody was inevitable in the case.
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Emily Bennett, prosecuting, told the court that on the afternoon of April 2 this year the defendant was at his partner's house in Skewen with a litre of Absolut vodka. She said John proceeded to drink most of the bottle of alcohol in the space of some 20 minutes and began complaining about the way eggs were being cooked in the kitchen.
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The court heard the defendant's partner was upstairs when she heard "banging" in the kitchen. The woman went downstairs to find the kettle and a cupboard had been damaged, and she asked John - who was "very intoxicated" - to leave the property. The defendant responded by grabbing the woman around the throat with both hands and forcing her into the living room and pushing her onto a table where she cried out for help. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter
The prosecutor said John subsequently slapped the woman across the face and left the house, and the victim locked the doors behind him. The woman later heard banging at the door but refused to answer it, and when she subsequently checked she found blood on the outside of the door.
The court heard that when police attended the property they found damage to the front door, damage to the hallway where John had punched the wall, and a smashed rear window on the woman's car.
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The prosecutor said John came to the attention of police again at 10pm the same night after a blue Ford Focus was seen driving along Burrows Road in Skewen at speed before crashing into a parked Suzuki Swift car. The defendant was still at the scene when officers arrived and he told them he had "chosen" to drive into the Suzuki, and he said the Focus he had been driving belonged to a friend in Bristol.
The defendant was arrested and a subsequent breathalyser test showed he had 65mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35mg. He made full admissions to his offending during his police interview. Read about a sex offender who carried out detailed surveillance of local children including mapping their movements to and from school
Grant John, of Ropewalk, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, common assault, assault by beating, criminal damage, drink-driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and driving without insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 10 previous convictions for 36 offences including three for assault - two of which involved the same complainant as the current case - seven for criminal damage, and seven for driving while disqualified. His last conviction was in July last year for assaulting an emergency worker.
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Stephen Thomas, for John, said the defendant was "ashamed" of what he had done and was realistic about the sentence he was facing. He said the father-of-five had experienced a "very difficult if not traumatic upbringing" at the hands of his mother which had left him with mental health issues which he had sought to deal with by consuming alcohol. The barrister said John realised he had to stop drinking, and he said his client wanted the court to know that "he is a different person when not in drink".
Judge Catherine Richards said John had a history of violent behaviour especially when in drink, and said that issue was something the defendant had himself acknowledged in a letter he had written to her. She said she took the contents of the letter to be genuine, and said she accepted that "when sober and reflective" the defendant is remorseful. but she told him that "actions speak louder than words" and what happens in the future is down to John. She told him that in the meantime custody was inevitable for the offending before the court.
With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas John was sentenced to a total of 24 months in prison. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community, The defendant was disqualified from driving for three years with the ban extended by an additional 45 weeks to account for the time he will be behind bars.
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