Violent thug is jailed after his terrified girlfriend used special ’55’ code during 999 call to silently alert police he was beating her up
- Alexander Boy, 25, is jailed after violent attack on his girlfriend at her Exeter flat
- Emma Parkinson called the police during assault and used special distress code
- System enables victims to press 55 if they are unable to speak to police operator
- Boy has been jailed for 16 months and been made subject of a restraining order
A violent boyfriend has been jailed after his terrified partner used a special code during a 999 call to alert police that she was being attacked.
Alexander Boy left victim Emma Parkinson with bruises all over her face and head in the drunken assault at her flat in Exeter, Devon.
She used a special facility on the 999 system to alert police without him realising what she was doing.
She used the code 55 to indicate that she was in distress but unable to speak.
Police arrested Boy as he fled the flat and found Miss Parkinson injured in her bedroom.
Alexander Boy, 25, (pictured) has been jailed after he left victim Emma Parkinson with bruises all over her face and head in the violent and drunken assault at her flat in Exeter, Devon
The 55 code was introduced to enable 999 call handlers to distinguish between nuisance calls and those from victims of violence who are too scared to speak.
Boy was already on a suspended sentence for two previous attacks on Miss Parkinson, one during a fracas at a hotel in Chagford where he armed himself with a Viking broadsword.
They had resumed their volatile relationship but on the night of the latest attack he had been drinking and was deliberately stopping her from sleeping.
He woke her up and sat at the end of her bed at 4am playing loud music on his phone.
He became violent when she kicked him off the bed, pulling her to the ground before kicking her in the face.
Hotel worker Boy, 25, now of Keswick, Cumbria, admitted battery and was jailed for a total of 16 months by Judge Timothy Rose at Exeter Crown Court.
He also imposed a seven-year restraining order banning any further contact with Miss Parkinson.
He told him: ‘You have a very worrying inability to control yourself in matters of domestic violence.
‘This assault occurred when you were under the influence of alcohol, which makes it worse rather than better.
‘Quite clearly, you reacted on this occasion by launching a sustained assault in which you hit and kicked her.
‘Whatever began the incident, there was no element of self defence.’
Mr Nigel Wraith, prosecuting, said Boy returned from work late on the night of September 13 this year and started drinking heavily, going out twice to buy more alcohol.
He said: ‘Boy became more aggressive and she was fearful because of previous experiences of his violence.
‘She dialled 999 and pressed 55 to indicate she could not talk but needed assistance shortly before 4 am.
‘He continued his behaviour and she kicked out at him in frustration at him not letting her sleep.
‘He fell off the bed onto the floor, jumped back up, got on top of her and began punching her in the head.’
Boy was jailed for 16 months and made subject of a restraining order at Exeter Crown Court
Mr Wraith said she ended up on the floor with Boy kicking her in the face about five times and punching the back of her head. She had bruises to her nose, jaw and ear but no fractures.
She made a victim impact statement saying she is being treated for depression and feels embarrassed because she ignored the advice of friends who warned her against resuming the relationship.
Miss Rachel Smith, defending, said intervention by the probation which started after Boy’s previous conviction in May had not had time to take effect yet.
She said the relationship had been volatile for both sides and he had gone to hospital with suspected broken ribs ten days before this incident.