The Prison Service is investigating the accidental release of a domestic abuser who viciously attacked his ex-girlfriend, punching her in the face and slamming her dog into a wall, MyLondon can reveal. Defence barrister Tom Copeland shared the concerning detail as he mitigated for 32-year-old Leon Shea, who was jailed for 18-weeks at Snaresbrook Crown Court last week on Thursday, July 17.
Shea attacked the woman, who we have decided not to name, in September last year when he was arrested and remanded into custody facing a number of serious charges. But this May, a justice system fail saw him accidently released from prison after some of the charges were withdrawn. MyLondon understands it may have been due to a miscommunication between the court and prison.
Shea could have gone on the run, but had the good sense to alert his solicitors who arranged for him to return to court. No doubt impressed by Shea’s honesty, and having already spent a significant amount of time on remand, a judge bailed him anyway. When Shea was jailed this week, he had already served his 18-week sentence so he left the building a free man.
When we asked the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) about Shea’s accidental release, a Prison Service spokesperson initially insisted in a written statement: “This is not true”. According to the information handed to the press office, Shea had been released properly because the case had been discontinued and the charges were withdrawn.
But MyLondon attended Shea’s sentencing, where it was abundantly clear not all the charges had been dropped. In a phone call with the MoJ, MyLondon suggested the Prison Service may not have been aware of the error and encouraged the press office to investigate the incident further. MyLondon now understands the MoJ’s initial denial was based on unreliable information.
Nearly a week after reporting from the hearing, in which time we repeatedly insisted our story was accurate and made our own enquiries to back this up, the Prison Service confirmed their original statement to MyLondon had been false and that the debacle is under investigation.
“Releases in error are incredibly rare but we take them extremely seriously. We are urgently investigating how this incident occurred,” a Prison Service spokesperson told us.
Abuser threw dog at wall ‘with force’
Shea, of Vanbrugh Hill in Blackheath, broke into his girlfriend’s flat in Barking in September last year, leaping over the balcony after she refused to let him in to collect his belongings. Once inside, Shea lobbed a cutlery draw at her, pushed her into the corner of the room, and smacked her face. He then picked up her small dog and chucked it at the wall behind him ‘with force’.
According to the prosecution, Shea then told the woman he would ‘hurt her in a different way’ and intentionally broke her cupboard door. It was only when she pretended to call someone for help that he ran off. Police were eventually called and Shea handed himself in the same day, saying nothing to the caution or police questions.
The attack – described as ‘shameful’ by Recorder Dermot Keating KC – was caught in a 30-second video on an internal CCTV camera. Shea was later charged with assault by beating, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, and criminal damage.
The initial charges also included aggravated burglary, threats to kill, and harassment, but these were dropped after the victim admitted ‘exaggerating’ some of her claims in a ‘frank’ email exchange with the investigating officer, according to Shea’s barrister Mr Copeland. It appears it was the dropping of these charges that led to Shea’s accidental release.
The court heard Shea has previous for a 2006 robbery, two assaults on police officers in 2008, a 2011 criminal damage offence, and a 2013 assault causing actual bodily harm. At the time of the attack on his ex, he was also serving an 18-month suspended sentence for driving whilst disqualified.
Due to his previous record, and the nature of the allegations that were later dropped, Shea was remanded into custody at his first court appearance. Remarkably, however, Shea was accidently let out of prison in May this year. He then surrendered himself to a judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court, who released him on bail with the more serious charges withdrawn.
‘It’s shameful’
Shea’s judicious decision to return himself to court – nearly as remarkable as his accidental release – played well for him in court this week, as the judge decided to spare him further time in custody. Recorder Keating still had his opinions though.
“The reality of what actually happened, it’s shameful,” said the judge, “You’re a big man, you were aggressive towards her. You leant over her and thought about what you were going to do and punched her in the face. A small dog trying to protect her owner, you threw it against the wall. Even saying it now, that’s not the person you want to be.”
Shea’s assault offence was marked with an 18 week sentence of immediate custody that has already been served, meaning he will not return to prison. Shea also received two weeks concurrent for the animal cruelty offence, no separate penalty for criminal damage, and a fine of £200 for breaking the terms of his suspended sentence. He will also pay a £154 victim surcharge.
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