Mum forced to spend Christmas Day in hiding after bad dad tipped buggy over with babies inside

A mum was forced to move into a women’s refuge with her two young children on Christmas Day after an attack by violent ex.

Bradley Moore punched the woman repeatedly in the face and tipped the double buggy over with the tots onboard, in an attack on December 23, 2021. Preston Crown Court heard Moore, and the woman had been in a relationship for six years before the incident.

She told police the relationship was abusive and they argued over Moore’s drug abuse. In December 2021 the woman ended the relationship as she was angry at Moore spending their money on drugs and leaving nothing for her and the children.

On December 23 the woman went to meet friends at Accrington Station. Moore knew she would be there and went to meet her. An argument broke out and the woman told Moore to leave her alone.

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As she walked down the ramp, Moore grabbed her and punched her in the face. During the scuffle, the double buggy she was pushing ended up on its side, with the children strapped in. The woman managed to run away and spoke to a passer by who saw her face was injured and asked if she was okay.

Moore approached them and apologised. He was almost crying, Cecilia Pritchard, prosecuting, told the court.

The woman went to a friends house and made arrangements as she did not feel safe returning home with her children. In a victim statement, she said: “The incident immediately alerted social services to the danger myself and my children were in. On Christmas Day I was moved to a refuge with my two children.

“Moving into a refuge on what should be one of the happiest days of the year was heartbreaking. Most of the time I feel lonely. The people who work here are supportive but they are not my friends.” She said during her relationship with Moore she was not allowed many friends and is not used to living with so many people.

“I don’t sleep well”, she said. “That is a mixture of anxiety and the fact that so many women and children are here. I hear them crying and it keeps me awake.”

Since the attack, she said Moore rang her constantly, and even as she was writing the statement he was trying to get in touch with her on Facebook Messenger.

Kristian Cavanagh, defending, said Moore, of Blackburn Road, Accrington, had spent his time on remand in a military prison in Leeds due to prison overcrowding and had been confined to his cell for 23 hours a day. Moore pleaded guilty to ABH and two counts of child cruelty and appeared at Preston Crown Court to be sentenced.

Sentencing, Recorder Michelle Brown said: “These matters are serious and sending you to immediate custody would be justified and would satisfy the public appetite for this type of offence.”

However she said the public would be better served by a rehabilitative sentence and handed down a 10 month jail term suspended for 22 months. During that time, Moore must complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements, 200 hours of unpaid work and a Building Better Relationships course.

The judge also made a five year restraining order.

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