Seaman gets another chance

A violent seaman who attacked his partner during their 15-month relationship has been released from prison after she told police she loved him and he was a changed man.
York Crown CourtYork Crown Court
York Crown Court

Michael Kellett, 34, was sentenced to nine months at York Crown Court for hitting his 28-year-old girlfriend in the face in a bedroom argument over an iPad and made the subject of a restraining order preventing him contacting her.

However, soon after his early release from prison on January 14 2016 he had moved property to her garden shed in Bridlington and had a house key. Kellett formerly of the Wellington Pub, Castle Road, Scarborough, appeared from custody at Hull Crown Court for sentence (Monday March 14) after pleading guilty to one charge of breaching a restraining order.

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Principal crown advocate Phillip Evans said police were alerted to an argument in the George Pub in Queen’s Street, Bridlington, on February 12 where Kellett had accused the mother-of-two of being unfaithful with another man while he was behind bars.

The woman, a hotel manager, had called the police before going home as a precautionary measure as she said: “I do not want to get Mr Kellett into trouble.”

The police answered that call for assistance, but left before Mr Kellett arrived letting himself in with a key.

Mr Evans said: “He was described as being calm but drunk. An argument developed and the woman asked Mr Kellett to leave. He declined to do so saying he had to make his way to Scarborough. So another call was made to the police. The police again attended. The woman showed some ambivalence at the time. She said in her complaint, she loved the defendant and she would support him at court. She said he was a changed man. The police found him in the garden shed, where he had stored some of his property.”

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The court heard he had almost yearly convictions from being a teenager. His convictions included assault, affray, threatening behaviour, using violence to enter premises and harassment. He has received four prison sentences – the longest sentence was 16-months.

Defence barrister Andrew Semple said Mr Kellett’s girlfriend had never wanted the restraining order putting in place by York Crown Court and had come to court to support him.

The hotel manager took the witness stand and told the court: “He has got the job on a boat lined up. He has done it before. On this occasion there was no violence.

“The plan is we live together. He will be moving out the pub. It is not a good place for him.”

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Judge Mark Bury told Kellett: “It appears you have a job lined up and want to make a go of this relationship. I am not going to stand in your way.”

Kellett was made the subject of a 24-month community order, a building better relationships programme, with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.”

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