A DAD has been jailed after he assaulted his daughter whilst on a work trip for a cryptocurrency event near Tenby.
Nathan Smith and his 19-year-old daughter Shania Smith were staying for the weekend at Penally Manor on a work trip just before Christmas.
At around 2pm on Sunday, December 17, Ms Smith told one of her colleagues that her dad was annoying her, prosecutor Regan Walters said.
Smith overheard and asked his daughter to come to his room for a chat.
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“The defendant told Ms Smith not to disrespect him in front of people he didn’t know,” Mr Walters said. However his daughter said she was not disrespecting him and that he was annoying her.
As she went to leave the room, Smith grabbed her and threw her on to the bed.
“The defendant grabbed her by the neck using both hands,” Mr Walters said, adding that Ms Smith was still able to breathe.
Smith then pulled her up, holding her by the chest, and pushed her against a wall.
Mr Walters said that Ms Smith was able to get towards the door again, but again the defendant grabbed her and dragged her back in to the room. Colleagues outside the room intervened and separated the pair.
Ms Smith attempted to call the police, but had no signal. The police were eventually called and arrived around four hours after the incident.
In a statement read to the court by Mr Walters, Ms Smith said that she “felt so let down” by her dad’s actions.
“I just don’t feel safe,” she said.
In interview, Smith told officers that earlier that day his daughter had been pulled over after she had gone out in the car with other people at the event. He said he had received a call from the police and had to drive the car back.
Smith, 41, of Salcot Crescent in Croydon, has seven previous convictions for 15 offences.
He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but denied a charge of strangulation. These pleas were accepted by the prosecution.
“This is a situation that should have never ever occurred,” said James McKenna, appearing for Smith. “He is appalled by it.”
Mr McKenna said that Smith did not dispute the prosecution’s case.
“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances,” he said.
“The defendant’s intention wasn’t to assault his daughter in that room.
“However, things got out of hand very, very quickly.
“This was spontaneous. It was impulsive.”
Smith was jailed for 14 months, and his daughter was granted a three-year restraining order against him.
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