Domestic abuse man ‘acted out of character’ (From York Press)
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Domestic abuse man ‘acted out of character’
7:46am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in News
By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk
Bradley Want who last week was jailed for 18 months for assaulting his girlfriend
THE family of a business owner who was jailed for assaulting his girlfriend said he should not be judged on one “out of character” mistake.
The mother and brother of 23-year-old bike shop owner Bradley Scott Want said that while they cannot excuse his actions, they describe him as a loving father and family man whose relationship with his actress girlfriend was going through a bad patch as he worked long hours to build his business.
Want received an 18-month sentence last week after assaulting his girlfriend in April.
He had returned from his brother’s birthday party to the home he shared with his girlfriend to find her and a friend fully clothed, but asleep, on a bed with two men, one of whom was a good friend of his.
Jim Mulhearn, 24, Bradley’s brother, said: “On the day before, the whole family had gone to watch the Grand National together and they parted on good terms.
“People thought they weren’t getting on, but that very night he was defending her and wanted to go home to her. I think he thought everything was alright when he went home.”
He added: “He went over the top and we are not excusing him, but I can fully understand what he felt when he walked in.”
His mother Sharon Want, 42, said her son was a hard worker who had built his business from nothing with help from the Princes Trust and had recently been nominated for a business award.
“It was putting a strain on things but they were still in a relationship,” she said. “You like to think you wouldn’t do the same thing, but you don’t know what you would do when you are put in the same situation.
“This was completely out of character. People are too quick to judge before they know the full story.”
Sentencing Want last week at York Crown Court, Judge Abdul Iqbal told him “it must have been a shock” to find the two men and that he was sure Want was an excellent father but the violence he used was “totally unacceptable.”
