Man cleared of sexual assaults jailed after punching woman to floor

A drunken Warrington man who attacked a woman in the kitchen of her friend’s home has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of assault, after punching her to the floor.

But as Ashley Moore has spent the equivalent of 20 months in custody on remand awaiting trial on that offence and a string of others he is now due for immediate release.

A jury had acquitted Orford man Moore of affray; three sexual assaults on one woman and engaging in sexual activity with her and one sex assault on another woman.

He was also cleared of assault by penetration of a third woman but convicted of assaulting her causing actual bodily harm.

He appeared for sentence for that offence yesterday and Liverpool Crown Court heard that he punched her in the face causing her to fall to the ground. She was left with pain and tenderness to the left side of her jaw and soft tissue injuries.

Jailing Moore, 33, of Cooper Avenue, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said that he had spent the evening at the home of the victim’s friend drinking to excess.
“You were drunk and your behaviour lairish and you were making inappropriate comments to people in that house.”
She said that he followed the woman into the kitchen and a scuffle developed during which he punched her to the left side of the face. She fell to the floor hitting the back of her head on the floor and was left dazed.
“You were still in a drunken and confrontational way when the police arrived,” said the judge.
The victim was left with facial soreness and tenderness for four weeks after the incident on January 13.
Judge Pierpoint said that Moore has been in court and jail before. “You clearly have not learnt your lesson. You are beginning to establish a pattern of behaviour linked to violence and weapons. There is concern about your behaviour.”

Hunter Gray, defending, said that Moore, who has 21 previous convictions for 33 offences, has been on remand for ten months.
He has been locked in his cell for 23 hours a day and because of the other offences, of which he had been acquitted, he was on the sex offenders wing which made life particularly difficult.
Mr Gray said that Moore had been missing his son and the time he has served “was sufficient punishment.”