Hartlepool woman Demi Belcher jailed at Teesside Crown Court for 'sustained' axe attack on woman and Audi

Demi Belcher chased after the victim and struck her a number of times with the weapon after a confrontation in the town’s Wynyard Road.

Teesside Crown Court heard the incident started the day before when the victim's car was broken into and a pair of Hunter wellies were stolen.

The victim was told that Belcher was wearing them, and when she and her partner went shopping the next day, she saw Belcher's boyfriend Michael Hutchinson in the upstairs window of his flat and tried to catch his attention.

Belcher, 32, went down and began arguing with the couple when Hutchinson dropped a hand axe out of the window.

She began attacking the couple’s Audi and Hutchinson joined in.

The Recorder of Middlesbrough Judge Francis Laird said: “You Demi Belcher then ran towards the victim and you attacked her with the axe.

"She turned to run. You chased her and struck her in the back with the axe casing her to fall to the ground.

"You then stood over her and aimed a number of blows towards her head and upper body.”

The victim’s boyfriend knocked Belcher off and the woman, still being chased by Belcher with the axe, escaped over a wall.

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Belcher then turned her attention back to attacking the car and stole a pair of new trainers from the back seat.

She pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, having a blade, criminal damage and theft in the incident on May 22 in 2023.

Hutchinson, 32, of Bruce Crescent, Hartlepool, also admitted criminal damage and was jailed for nine months.

Belcher was also sentenced for seven shop thefts committed between last December and May this year.

She targeted stores including Iceland, Spar and The Range when she helped herself to hundreds of pounds of chocolates, cleaning products and groceries.

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On some occasions she was aggressive when shop workers challenged her.

She also used bank card stolen in a burglary last October to buy around £100 of groceries.

In mitigation, it was said Belcher lived a “chaotic lifestyle” punctuated by domestic violence, substance abuse and poor mental health.

Jailing her for two years and nine months, Judge Laird said: “Your offending clearly crosses the custody threshold by a considerable margin.”