Serial woman beater left ex with a bleed on her brain
Simon Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation
A serial woman-beating thug who left an ex with a bleed on her brain could be going back to jail for breaching his Violent Offences Prevention Order.
Pictured here for the first time Antrim bully boy Simon Wells will find out on Tuesday if he is going back to prison after he admitted the breach the terms of his VOPO of which he has been subject to for six years and has four more to run.
Wells was previously jailed after he dragged his then girlfriend into a bathroom where he proceeded to punch her repeatedly in the head.
And in a separate subsequent attack Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation – however the charge was left on the books when he pleaded guilty to assault.
Court News NI reported Wells, who has a string of domestic abuse convictions against him, appeared this week convicted of having an 'unapproved' overnight stay in Antrim on April 27.
Serial woman-beating thug Simon Wells
Sentencing will take place next month at Antrim Magistrates' Court when the 30-year-old now with an address of Inverary Avenue, Belfast, will discover if he's going back to prison following a pre-sentence report.
In Northern Ireland, a Violent Offences Prevention Order (VOPO) is a civil order made by a court to protect the public from an offender who poses a risk of serious violent harm.
It's not part of a sentence and is a risk management tool, not automatically applied to all violent offenders – only those repeat offenders who have been before the courts several times.
Wells has shocking history of attacking women.
In 2019 he was jailed for three years after he attacked his ex, committing grievous bodily harm in a prolonged assault that left his victim with a broken nose, broken teeth and a bleed on the brain.
On that occasion Wells told cops afterwards, 'If a woman is big enough to hit, she is big enough to be hit back'.
Wells barrister told Antrim Crown Court 'in the cold clear light of day' his 24-year-old client was 'disgusted with his behaviour'.
Crown barrister Michael Chambers told the court six years ago Wells and his partner went to the flat of another man in Antrim, and that all three consumed drink and drugs.
Mr Chambers said that after an otherwise pleasant evening, Wells couldn't find his phone and that an argument broke out between him and his girlfriend.
When she located his phone and gave it gave it back to him, the row escalated.
Mr Chambers said that while Wells accused his partner of having his phone, he then smashed her two phones.
She became angry at this, she shouted at him then the couple started pushing and shoving each other. The prosecutor said at this point the 'physically much stronger' Wells grabbed his girlfriend and dragged her to the bathroom where he got her on the floor.
The thug then punched her repeatedly and banged her head off the floor.
Mr Chambers said the occupant of the flat was aware of what was happening, and when he opened the bathroom door, he saw Wells 'straddling her and punching her about the face... he thought she was going to be killed'.
Simon Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation
News in 90 Seconds - June 18th
He intervened, the police were called to the flat, and when they arrived the saw a woman in a physically distressed state with a bruised and bloodied face.
She was taken to hospital and treated for a broken nose and extensive bruising to her face. She also sustained a bleed to the brain and broken teeth in the assault.
When Wells, who's originally from Antrim, was arrested, he told police 'if a woman is big enough to hit, she is big enough to be hit back'.
At the time, he was also in breach of a suspended sentence. He later admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, and causing criminal damage to her phones.
Defence barrister Neil Moore said it was accepted by Wells that domestic violence was 'abhorrent', that he was 'disgusted' by his own behaviour and that 'he has had the opportunity to think very long and very hard about how he reacted that evening'.
Pointing out that in the year Wells has spent in custody he has 'embraced all the help forthcoming to him', Mr Moore revealed this has included attending a victim awareness course.
Simon Wells
The defence barrister told Judge Kevin Finnegan QC that while an ongoing issue with Wells is drugs and alcohol misuse, he has passed all drugs tests in prison.
Judge Finnegan handed Wells a three-year sentence which was divided into a year in custody and two years on licence – meaning he will be released this week. As part of his licence, Wells will have to participate in courses recommended by his Designated Risk Manager.
Wells was also made the subject of a five-year Violent Offences Prevention Order, and the conditions of this include him being forbidden into entering a relationship without disclosing his previous offending, and not communicating directly or indirectly with his ex-girlfriend.
But despite his claims that he was getting help to stop him from attacking women Wells was back in court in July 2023 for similar offences.
He was charged at Ballymena Magistrates Court with strangling a female with intent to affect her ability to breathe or the flow of blood to her brain.
He was also charged of assaulting and threatening to kill her and damaging fixtures and fittings in her home.
Wells pleaded guilty to the criminal damage charge and the assault offence with the other charges 'left on the book'.
He was jailed for 22 months with half of that to be in custody and the other half on licence.
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Bully dragged his girlfriend into the bathroom and beat her repeatedly Simon Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation A serial woman-beating thug who left an ex with a bleed on her brain could be going back to jail for breaching his Violent Offences Prevention Order. Pictured here for the first time Antrim bully boy Simon Wells will find out on Tuesday if he is going back to prison after he admitted the breach the terms of his VOPO of which he has been subject to for six years and has four more to run. Wells was previously jailed after he dragged his then girlfriend into a bathroom where he proceeded to punch her repeatedly in the head. And in a separate subsequent attack Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation – however the charge was left on the books when he pleaded guilty to assault. Court News NI reported Wells, who has a string of domestic abuse convictions against him, appeared this week convicted of having an 'unapproved' overnight stay in Antrim on April 27. Serial woman-beating thug Simon Wells Sentencing will take place next month at Antrim Magistrates' Court when the 30-year-old now with an address of Inverary Avenue, Belfast, will discover if he's going back to prison following a pre-sentence report. In Northern Ireland, a Violent Offences Prevention Order (VOPO) is a civil order made by a court to protect the public from an offender who poses a risk of serious violent harm. It's not part of a sentence and is a risk management tool, not automatically applied to all violent offenders – only those repeat offenders who have been before the courts several times. Wells has shocking history of attacking women. In 2019 he was jailed for three years after he attacked his ex, committing grievous bodily harm in a prolonged assault that left his victim with a broken nose, broken teeth and a bleed on the brain. On that occasion Wells told cops afterwards, 'If a woman is big enough to hit, she is big enough to be hit back'. Wells barrister told Antrim Crown Court 'in the cold clear light of day' his 24-year-old client was 'disgusted with his behaviour'. Crown barrister Michael Chambers told the court six years ago Wells and his partner went to the flat of another man in Antrim, and that all three consumed drink and drugs. Mr Chambers said that after an otherwise pleasant evening, Wells couldn't find his phone and that an argument broke out between him and his girlfriend. When she located his phone and gave it gave it back to him, the row escalated. Mr Chambers said that while Wells accused his partner of having his phone, he then smashed her two phones. She became angry at this, she shouted at him then the couple started pushing and shoving each other. The prosecutor said at this point the 'physically much stronger' Wells grabbed his girlfriend and dragged her to the bathroom where he got her on the floor. The thug then punched her repeatedly and banged her head off the floor. Mr Chambers said the occupant of the flat was aware of what was happening, and when he opened the bathroom door, he saw Wells 'straddling her and punching her about the face... he thought she was going to be killed'. Simon Wells became one of the first offenders to be charged under new laws around non-fatal strangulation News in 90 Seconds - June 18th He intervened, the police were called to the flat, and when they arrived the saw a woman in a physically distressed state with a bruised and bloodied face. She was taken to hospital and treated for a broken nose and extensive bruising to her face. She also sustained a bleed to the brain and broken teeth in the assault. When Wells, who's originally from Antrim, was arrested, he told police 'if a woman is big enough to hit, she is big enough to be hit back'. At the time, he was also in breach of a suspended sentence. He later admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, and causing criminal damage to her phones. Defence barrister Neil Moore said it was accepted by Wells that domestic violence was 'abhorrent', that he was 'disgusted' by his own behaviour and that 'he has had the opportunity to think very long and very hard about how he reacted that evening'. Pointing out that in the year Wells has spent in custody he has 'embraced all the help forthcoming to him', Mr Moore revealed this has included attending a victim awareness course. Simon Wells The defence barrister told Judge Kevin Finnegan QC that while an ongoing issue with Wells is drugs and alcohol misuse, he has passed all drugs tests in prison. Judge Finnegan handed Wells a three-year sentence which was divided into a year in custody and two years on licence – meaning he will be released this week. As part of his licence, Wells will have to participate in courses recommended by his Designated Risk Manager. Wells was also made the subject of a five-year Violent Offences Prevention Order, and the conditions of this include him being forbidden into entering a relationship without disclosing his previous offending, and not communicating directly or indirectly with his ex-girlfriend. But despite his claims that he was getting help to stop him from attacking women Wells was back in court in July 2023 for similar offences. He was charged at Ballymena Magistrates Court with strangling a female with intent to affect her ability to breathe or the flow of blood to her brain. He was also charged of assaulting and threatening to kill her and damaging fixtures and fittings in her home. Wells pleaded guilty to the criminal damage charge and the assault offence with the other charges 'left on the book'. He was jailed for 22 months with half of that to be in custody and the other half on licence.
