Non league player in court for controlling and coercive behaviour leaving girlfriend disfigured

Non league player Damien Stevens is in court for controlling and coercive behaviour leaving his girlfriend disfigured say reports.

Damien Stevens, who most recently turned out for Northern League Division One side Seaham Red Star is alleged to have left his victim unconscious in a bath, broke her nose while she was was driving a vehicle, and forced her to quit her job as a nursery teacher, Northumberland Gazette write.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how her ordeal, a year long, was not reported until after they broke up in February this year, as she had thought she was in love with him and did not want to see him in trouble.

She had believed she was in love and didn’t want to see him in trouble, but it led to the formerly “vibrant and happy” female being left a “shell of a person” and admitted in a statement: “I am frightened of him.”

“He always knew exactly what to say to humiliate me.

“There is long-term damage to my nose but the NHS is unable to fund the procedure required to repair it. I can either live with the injury, making me feel extremely self conscious as it is, or pay for the procedure at the cost of between £5,000-£10,000.

“I cannot afford such an expense therefore will have to live with this injury, which is a constant reminder.”

The woman reveals she left her role as a teacher because she didn’t want to face colleagues and children covered with injuries on her, needing to take time off and struggled with work that needed to be done at home as “he demanded all of my time”.

He has a number of other past convictions for harassment and common assault on other victims, admitted controlling and coercive behaviour and criminal damage and faced a prison term.

But the court’s Mr Recorder, Mark Guiliani, told Stevens that he could ended up having time behind bars with a starting sentence of around 30 months.

The case is deferred until July and he has been handed a chance to co-operate with the probation service, save up compensation cash of at least £1,500 and commit no further offences, including domestic violence.

Stevens was given a lifelong restraining order to keep him away from his ex girlfriend with prosecutor Kate Barnes listing out all the incident which took place relating to Damien Stevens:

– In February 2021, arrived home drunk and smashed photographs of them both and damaged her fridge;

– In March 2021 he pulled her television from the wall and smashed it on the floor;

– In April 2021 he threw her mobile phone towards her head while she was in bed;

– In July 2021 he smashed her phone while “kicking off” and she had to call two friends to help her.

In September 2021, Stevens spoke to the woman while she had a bath. Miss Barnes told the court: “He took her mobile phone off her and tried to throw it in the bath then tried to hit her with a towel.

“He struck her hard with a towel, causing her to fling her head back and bang it against the side of the bath, causing her to become unconscious. The next thing she remembers is choking on the bath water.”

Almost a week following the bath incident, Stevens is also said to have pushed the victim on the floor and threw a bag full of rubbish which also had some broken glass, at her.

A further nine days after that, a bottle of lemonade struck the woman on the head then put his hands around her throat and squeezed until she was left with red marks.

He is also reported that in months leading up to November 2021, he punched and pushed her over, dragged her off the bed, pushed her on the ground, he hit her in the face and left her with swollen eyes and a bruised lip, spat at her and picked the woman up from an airport with court being told it appeared to the victim that he was drunk.

After being stopped by police, Stevens wasn’t breathalised, but instead the victim took over driving.

Miss Barnes said: “As she drove the defendant pulled on the handbrake, causing her to brake hard. He kept punching her with a clenched fist, towards her head and body, causing a great deal of pain.

“He struck her with the heel of his hand in the face.”

The victim went to the Newcastle based Royal Victoria Infirmary and was transferred to Newcastle Freeman Hospital with a suspected broken nose.

She found out that due to cuts in funding, she faced having to find her own way of raising money to pay for corrective surgery.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said Stevens, who makes £150 per footie match, had been going in the “right direction” and would like to continue to make progress before adding the offences were “nasty and mean”.