Bradford man jailed over attack on ex-partner’s boyfriend

A man who broke into his ex’s home in the early hours of the morning and attacked her new partner with a knife has been jailed for more than eight years.

Shea Conley entered the house using an insecure window and, after grabbing a knife, went into the bedroom where his former partner and her boyfriend were asleep and began slashing him, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Before the attack in October, Conley, 28, of Draughton Street, Bradford, had spoken of “doing a Raoul Moat”, the court was told.

Conley subsequently handed himself in to police and at a later court appearance had admitted offences of aggravated burglary with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.

The court heard that the male complainant, a body builder, woke to find Conley slashing at his face with the knife.

Conley’s ex tried to fight him off during the ordeal to protect her new partner and the defendant eventually fled the house.

Before the attack, Conley had consumed alcohol and taken cocaine, the court was told.

After having the wounds stitched, Conley’s target was left with facial scarring and, in a victim impact statement, he said he had only been getting a few hours sleep a night and had lost weight since the attack.

The complainant also said he worried about prospective employers judging him because of the scars to his face.

The relationship between the male complainant and Conley’s ex-partner had ended shortly after the attack, the court heard.

Sentencing Conley on Thursday to a prison term of eight years and five months, Judge Jonathan Rose, the Recorder of Bradford, described him as “a dangerous offender”.

The judge also added an extended licence period of four years to protect the public from the risk posed by Conley.

Judge Rose told Conley over prison video link: “Your claims that you cannot remember these events I find difficult to accept and I’ve seen nothing to suggest you are genuinely remorseful for what you have done.”

The judge said it was likely that Conley, who suffered from undiagnosed and untreated ADHD, had drunk alcohol and taken cocaine to give him the courage to carry out the attack.

Judge Rose said the female complainant’s actions had placed her courage against Conley’s cowardice in attacking a sleeping man.

Conley had made a calculated decision to go to the house at night and had carried out a persistent and vicious attack, he said.

The 28-year-old’s aversion to the male complainant was founded only on jealousy and nothing else and it came close to a hatred of him, the judge added.

Solicitor advocate Safter Salam, for Conley, submitted that his client’s offending had taken place in the context of “significant emotional distress” following the relationship breakdown and his client had acted impulsively and out of frustration.

Conley will now be subject to a lifelong restraining order banning him from contacting the male victim in the case.

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