Man with 133 convictions jailed for attacking woman

Friday 12 January 2024

A 51-year-old man with a "proven history of violence" – who accepted "limited responsibility" for attacking a woman in her own home – has been sent to prison.

Wayne Christopher Metcalfe grabbed the woman by the neck and pushed her hard, leaving bruises on her chest, the Royal Court heard.

He was imprisoned for 15 months for grave and criminal assault.

Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, said Metcalfe and the victim had been drinking together on the afternoon of of 23 June last year, and and had later begun arguing.

She said he had grabbed the woman by the neck and squeezed so that she struggled to breathe, and pushed her hard in the chest, causing four bruises.

Pictured: The case was heard in the Royal Court.

A  neighbour had heard the argument and banging noises and called the police. A police doctor who examined the victim confirmed that the bruises and the sore throat she noticed afterwards had been caused by an assault.

Metcalfe plead not guilty to grave and criminal assault when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on 26 June but later admitted the offence.

Crown Advocate Carvalho pointed out that he had 133 previous convictions, including 12 for violence, and commented: “He cannot be said to be of previous good character. He is at high risk of general reconviction.”

She recommended a sentence of 15 months and a restraining order barring him from having any contact with the woman for five years.

Advocate David Steenson, defending, argued that 15 months was too long.

He also pointed out that the victim had at first had claimed Metcalfe had banged her head against a wall seven times, but this had not been accepted at the trial.

He said: “This is a situation where the incident was provoked by the victim, and she gave an account that was significantly embellished. Parts of the allegations made against him were untrue.”

Advocate Steenson said that Metcalfe had come to Jersey for work and now planned to return to England, so there was no need for a restraining order.

“He has no intention of ever coming back,” he said.

But the Jurats imposed the restraining order and the prison sentence. Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae told Metcalfe: “You have a proven history of violence and you accept limited responsibility for what you did.”

The Jurats sitting were Jane Ronge and Andrew Cornish.