Bedford man jailed for attacking ex in Luton

1 March 2019, 19:37 | Updated: 1 March 2019, 19:39

A man from Bedford has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison after attacking his ex-partner and her friend at a house in Luton.

James Foster, 28, of High Street, Bedford, was sentenced today (Friday 1st March) at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of making threats to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and criminal damage.

At around 6.45am on Friday 21st December, Mr Foster went into the back garden of the house in Butely Road, where his ex-partner and a man were smoking.  

On seeing the woman’s friend, Foster became angry, and threatened to stab him, so the pair went into the house but Foster barged his way in after them.

Once inside, he attacked the woman and tried to strangle her but she managed to fight him off. He also pushed the man against the wall and threatened him with two knives.

During the incident Foster stamped on her tablet computer, threw a Christmas tree across the room, stabbed a fridge with a knife and punched through a glass panel in a door.

He took clothing and a bottle of vodka before leaving. The couple called the police and he was arrested.

Foster denied the charges but was found guilty and sentenced to two years and four months each for the two counts of threats to kill, to run concurrently. He was also sentenced to eight weeks for both assaults, also to run concurrently. There was no separate penalty for criminal damage.
 
Detective Constable Mirian Khajavelidze said:

"We are fortunate that both victims were not badly injured, but Foster’s enraged actions terrified them, putting them in genuine fear for their lives.  

Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and we are committed to bringing perpetrators to justice.

We are also dedicated to supporting victims of violence and encouraging them to speak out, so that we can provide help, investigate and bring offenders like Foster to justice.”

If you are concerned about someone or are being subjected to violence, please call police on 101. If a crime is in progress, or in if someone is in danger, always call 999.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you have been affected by crime, the Signpost Hub offers free and confidential support to victims in Bedfordshire, whether it has been reported to police or not and irrespective of where and when the crime occurred.  

Contact 0800 0282887 or visit www.signpostforbedfordshire.com for further information.