A man who assaulted his ex-partner and threw his young son two meters across a room has been jailed after committing further offences. James Endean, 24, from Truro, was initially given two suspended sentences by the court but failed to change.
Endean appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to two counts of harassment – breaching a conviction-based restraining order and one count of assault by beating. Prosecuting the case, Piers Norsworthy explained how Endean and his then-partner had been in an on-and-off relationship for seven years and had three children.
Endean was described as jealous that his ex-partner had contacted her on social media and attempted to contact her via Snapchat to try and get her back. When she said she was at work, he would come in and threaten her.
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In February this year, Endean went to a take-out restaurant where his ex-partner worked and said he wanted money from her. It was heard that he knocked over a garbage can with his foot and grabbed her by the throat, and when a customer came in, she said she had to serve them because she was the only employee on staff. Endean remained in the restaurant the entire time, and when she gave him the money after serving the customer, he left.
On another occasion, Endean turned up at her address while she was in the bath and slipped his phone through the letterbox on her front door. When she got out, she recognized that he had put his phone through the door, so she pushed it back.
Endean called her to say his phone was broken and called her an ab***h. He then tried to climb out of the bathroom window, and she told him that she would meet him in a nearby park. It was heard that when Endean was in the park, he grabbed her by the neck and had some kind of blade on him with which he tried to cut her stomach and hands in front of her, saying that she didn’t care about him.
He started yelling in her face and demanding she show him her Snapchat at her house. When she said she was going to do it outside, he grabbed her and said he «didn’t want to be like this» but blamed his drug addiction.
Endean’s ex-partner then tried to offer him money to find a place to stay, but when he refused the offer, she gave him money to get some food. When he returned later that evening, she said she could stay on the couch and the police were called the next day.
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In a victim impact statement, Endean’s partner described how any noise she heard at home or at work left her feeling «really scared» because she thought he was coming after her. She said: “He has the ability to seriously hurt me, especially when it comes to drugs.
«He is unpredictable and appears at random. Even when we are not together he tries to control me, tells his family not to talk to me. His name calling and making me feel worthless has affected my self esteem, I don’t go out much and it has affected me socially, I have no friends. We have three children together and his son lacks a father figure, they had a good relationship but he ruined it.»
In mitigation, it was heard that Endean’s previous inability to control his temper or emotions, particularly at a time when he was abusing substances, was a factor in his offending. But it was heard that he had shown the first signs of wanting to address those issues.
Endean is also said to have no interest in rekindling his relationship with his ex-partner and has completed a series of courses to continue dealing with his temper and emotions.
Sentencing Endean, Judge Simon Carr said: “The victim of all your offending was your former partner with whom you have three children. From what I saw, it was an abusive relationship all along.
«You cannot control your anger and use physical violence against your partner, including when your children were in the house. Money that would be better spent on the children is spent on your drug addiction.
“When you committed the offenses in 2024, you physically and verbally abused her and harassed her at home and at work in a way that she would have found terrifying. I cannot ignore the circumstances of the offending over a period of time.”
Endean was sentenced to a total of 15 months in prison.
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