A Peel man who kicked his way through a bathroom door to get at a former partner has been handed a suspended sentence

Jack Edwards admitted a domestic abuse offence as well as two counts of drug-driving, one count of careless driving, one of possessing pregabalin, and one of failing to give information on a driver.

Magistrates sentenced him to 13 weeks custody, suspended for 18 months and also gave him a restraining order.

The 27-year-old was also banned from driving for two years for the drug-driving offences, with an order to take an extended test at the end of his ban.

Prosecuting advocate Rebecca Cubbon told the court that Edwards, who lives at Corrin’s Way, had been in a five-year relationship with the complainant.

The abuse took place between March 21 and June 21.

She said that he had ‘always been an angry person’ and had smashed things in their home.

On one occasion, the woman said that he had smashed his way through the bathroom door to get to her, and that she feared he was going to kill her.

She said that he also ran at her with a clenched fist but stopped.

The woman said that she ended their relationship over the phone and asked a friend to be present when Edwards came around.

Advocate Ian Kermode entered a basis of plea on behalf of his client, in which Edwards admitted kicking his way through the door, but said that he didn’t touch the woman.

He also accepted that he had damaged items on other occasions and that there had been verbal abuse.

Edwards said that he became frustrated that she had neglected the housework.

He also admitted that, on one occasion he had pushed the woman away and she had fallen to the ground.

On November 30, Edwards hit a traffic sign while driving on Oak Road in Peel.

On December 8, he was found in possession of 43 pregabalin tablets after police spoke to him in Greeba.

On January 27, police spoke to Edwards while he was in a car at the KFC drive-thru.

He failed a drug wipe test which proved positive for cocaine and cannabis.

Blood was taken and later produced readings of 108 for benzoylecgonine, for which the limit is 50, and 4.1 for cannabis, which has a legal limit of two.

He was below the limit for cocaine but benzoylecgonine is a metabolite of the class A drug.

On February 18, a Ford Focus owned by Edwards was involved in an accident on the Ramsey Road in Peel.

He was spoken to by police on March 4 but refused to give information as to who had been driving the vehicle.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode handed in a letter of apology from Edwards.

Mr Kermode asked for credit to be given for four early guilty pleas and also said that, while Edwards had initially denied the domestic abuse offence and the failure to give information offences, he had changed his pleas to guilty for those also.

The advocate said: ‘Mr Edwards is relatively lightly convicted.

‘He has never had probation, community service or a suspended sentence.

‘He has been free of illegal drugs now for a number of months.

‘He spent several days at police headquarters following his arrest on various dates.

‘Probation has identified issues that need to be addressed, which wouldn’t be if he was in custody.

‘He is motivated to work with probation.

‘It wouldn’t be tea and biscuits.’

Mr Kermode went on to say that all the offences, aside from the domestic abuse one, would normally incur a financial penalty.

Magistrates also ordered Edwards to pay £900 prosecution costs, due to work being done for pre-trial reviews after his two initial not guilty pleas.