Thuggish Carlisle couple attacked sleeping woman

The victim, whose male housemate owed the money, was forcibly escorted to her bank to withdraw the cash they claimed was owed.

The two people responsible  for this - 23-year-old Craig Lee Cherry and his then partner Ellie Wright, 24 – threatened to kill the woman if she refused to cooperate. When their attempt to make her hand over the cash failed, they broke into the woman's home, and attacked her.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that Wright repeatedly hit the woman over the head with a cast-iron pan while Cherry attacked her with his fists. 

Cherry admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, theft and blackmail while Wright admitted the first two charges (actual bodily harm assault and theft).

Jacob Dyer, prosecuting, described how the victim was living at the home of a man in Yewdale Road, Carlisle on August 5 last year when the defendants arrived there, intent on settling a drugs debt.

Cherry said he was owed several hundred pounds for cocaine. Brazenly, even as the woman was talking to a police officer on her phone about another matter, Cherry threatened her, said Mr Dyer.

He made her order a taxi and then both he and Wright escorted the woman to her bank in Carlisle, ignoring her claim that she had no more money.

"They planned to take her to the bank to withdraw money,” said Mr Dyer. “They were bullying her to do that.”

Describing that journey, the barrister said: "More threats were made, including a threat to kill her if she didn’t do what she was told." Once the woman was at the bank, staff saw that she was upset. 

She asked to speak to them privately, revealing that she was threatened and forced to go there by taxi. The couple responsible were outside waiting for her, she told them, prompting the staff to call the Police.

Cherry and Wright insisted to the police officers that the woman owed them money - but they agreed to leave.

Later that same day, as the woman lay asleep in her bedroom, the defendants broke into the house and attacked her. “Ellie Wright hit her over the head with a pan a number of times,” said Mr Dyer.

“The woman was also punched by Mr Cherry and at one point a cable was wrapped around [her] neck. After five minutes there was a sound of police sirens, prompting the defendants to stop what they were doing and flee.”

Wright was caught with the victim's purse, containing £500 in cash. The woman was so traumatised that she has since left the area.

Jeff Smith, for Cherry, of Orton Road, Carlisle, said his life fell apart when in his childhood his parents separated. His offending history – comprising 22 convictions for offences that included violence – showed the consequence of drug taking.

“His life has been a long spiral of alcohol and drug misuse,” said Mr Smith. The last thing he wants to do when released from jail was go back to taking drugs, said the lawyer.

He also wanted to leave Carlisle. Mr Smith added: “He would never again wish to be the person he was.

“He hates the person he was and what he did and hopes that in the future he will no longer be before the course.”

Holly Nelson, for Wright, of Etterby Road, Belah, said that at the time of the offending she was in a relationship with Cherry and living with him. “She was entirely dependent on him,” said the barrister.

A woman of previous good character, she became involved in Cherry’s world to help him obtain the money. “She was not the driving force for what happened in August last year,” said Miss Nelson.
Wright had left Carlisle to start afresh. She had experienced “severe domestic violence” in childhood and PTSD related symptoms which left her vulnerable, and susceptible to submitting to the desires of others.

Recorder Paul Hodkingson noted that the victim – attacked in her own home – was vulnerable. He jailed Cherry for three and a half years and gave Wright a 16-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

She must complete 140 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity days. The Recorder said he was suspending the sentence for the sake of her child.