A dad strangled his then-partner at her home after being angered about being woken up to clean up damage his dog caused. Joshua Gibson-Walling, of Glenwood Close, Radcliffe, was asleep at the property in Bury on December 16 last year. At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, prosecutor Emily Calman said he was woken by his then-partner after the dog had caused damage to the home.
Gibson-Walling, 28, dealt with the situation before venting his anger at being woken up for that reason. But the verbal abuse soon turned physical, the court heard. He started flicking a cigarette, which got stuck in her hair, before grabbing her by the neck, Ms Calman said.
He placed both hands around her and she was unable to breathe, and her vision went black. The victim managed to escape him briefly before he followed her and attacked her in the same way. During the attack, she was assaulted and forced into a cupboard as a result.
Police were called and Gibson-Walling attacked a police officer while trying to resist being arrested. In a victim impact statement, the woman said “she no longer feels safe in her own home”. Although she did not suffer serious injuries she has been scarred mentally and emotionally.
After previously being the “life and soul of the party”, she is now more wary of people, especially men, and has developed a stutter. The police officer who was assaulted said he felt “disrespected” after being attacked while he was doing his job of protecting the community. The court heard Gibson-Walling, 28, had eight previous convictions for 17 offences, which included cases such as assault and breaching community orders.
At a previous hearing, he pleaded guilty to non-fatal strangulation, assault and assault of an emergency worker. Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court (Image: Public) READ NEXT > The names and faces of Bolton's most wanted READ NEXT > Man fined for going into shut down Travellers' site READ NEXT > Teen boy admits to 'participating in riots' in town centre Defending, Megan Edwards said Gibson-Walling regrets his actions and has shown remorse. She said he has been having treatment for psychosis, anxiety and depression and he had recently suffered a bereavement in his family.
While in custody he has been working to turn his life around and plans to go to college to do a bricklaying course once he is released from prison. Ms Edwards said there is a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”. Addressing him, Judge Joanne Woodward said: “After an argument arising from an unimportant matter, you completely lost your temper and control.
” She sentenced him to 23 months and imposed an indefinite restraining order against him..
