Man, 29, pleads guilty to domestic abuse offences

A 29-year-old man has pleaded guilty to domestic abuse offences following an incident in Northampton.

In the late afternoon of February 18, 2020, Mirsad Arifi, of Aldbourne Road, Coventry, launched an attack on his partner inside their home in St George’s Street, Northampton, by hitting her around the face several times before grabbing her by the throat and throwing her to the floor.

When the woman tried to call the police, Arifi smashed her phone and continued to beat to her whilst she was on the floor.

Thankfully she managed to escape from the house and run to a police station where she was able to get medical attention. As a result of the incident, she suffered a broken wrist.

Arifi was arrested the next day and charged with Section 20 Grievous Bodily Harm, two counts of assault, and one count of criminal damage.

On the first day of his trial at Northampton Crown Court at the beginning of May, he pleaded guilty to all four charges, and this week (August 22), was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and handed a five-year restraining order.

Lead Investigator, Detective Constable Stacey Hayes, said: “This woman was exceptionally brave in coming forward and reporting this attack to us and I want to commend her for her courage and for supporting our investigation throughout. 

“Domestic abuse is a terrible crime as victims are being assaulted and mistreated by someone who is meant to love them. That’s why we never underestimate the bravery it takes to come forward and I want to assure people that we always treat reports with the sensitivity and confidentiality they deserve. Most importantly, we will believe you.

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case demonstrates that commitment to bring offenders to justice and to safeguard the victims.”

If you have been a victim of domestic abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the Northamptonshire Police online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.

If you have been a victim of a domestic abuse but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.