Jealous boyfriend, 35, who killed his girlfriend’s unborn baby after punching her in the stomach because he resented ‘feeding and raising another man’s child’ is jailed for life
- Asa Davison attacked girlfriend Isabelle Irish while she was 29 weeks pregnant
- He deliberately kicked and punched her in the stomach to destroy her child
- Miss Irish was later taken to hospital and a scan detected no fetal heartbeat
- Davison was found guilty of the lesser-known offence of child destruction under the Infant Life Preservation Act (1929) and jailed for life
A jealous boyfriend who killed his pregnant partner’s unborn baby because he resented it being fathered by another man was today jailed for life.
Asa Davison, from Gillingham, Dorset, attacked victim Isabelle Irish while she was 29 weeks pregnant in order to destroy the child.
The 35-year-old, who has a history for domestic violence, deliberately kicked and punched Miss Irish in the stomach and dragged her along the road.
She was found cowering in a back garden of a house by the homeowner who called the police.
Miss Irish was taken to hospital and a scan detected no fetal heartbeat. She had to give birth to her dead baby, who had been perfectly healthy at its 20 week scan.
Davison was found guilty of the lesser-known offence of child destruction under the Infant Life Preservation Act (1929) following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.
Today, a judge called Davison ‘highly dangerous’ to women as she jailed him for life, with a minimum jail term of 12 years before he can be considered for parole.
Asa Davison attacked Isabelle Irish while she was 29 weeks pregnant in order to destroy her unborn child, which was another man’s
Miss Irish was taken to hospital and a scan detected no fetal heartbeat. She had to give birth to her dead baby, who had been perfectly healthy at its 20 week scan
Mrs Justice Johannah Cutts said: ‘Throughout the trial you maintained you only ever helped Miss Irish but I rejected that evidence entirely.
‘You we’re no knight on a white charger. You were a controlling man quick to anger and violence.
‘I have no hesitation in finding you dangerous. You set out not just to cause your pregnant girlfriend really serious bodily injury but to kill her unborn child.
‘Having on earlier occasions expressed your anger at Ms Irish’s pregnancy you delivered a blow of such force to her abdomen that you caused the placenta to rupture when she was seven months pregnant.
‘As a partner she was entitled to love and support but you caused her injuries, physical pain and forced her to give birth to a dead child.
‘Your previous convictions show a propensity to domestic assault.
‘You pose in my view a very high level of danger to those with whom you have a relationship.’
Davison, a chef, watched the proceedings via a video link but walked off in protest while the judge sentenced him.
The court had heard that Miss Irish was already pregnant when she entered a relationship with Davison in early 2020.
Although he told her they could carry on being a couple after her baby had been born, resentment inside him simmered away.
Police later recovered recordings on his phone to Miss Irish. In one he said that it ‘broke (his) heart’ that the baby was not his.
He also said: ‘I don’t give a s**t about your baby.’
His resentment boiled over into violence on May 29, 2020, when he followed his partner on his bike down a side street.
One witness saw him treating the woman ‘like a dog on a lead’ before kicking her in the belly.
Another heard a sound like ‘someone dragging a bag of compost’ up the street.
Sarah Jones, prosecuting, said: ‘The person responsible for the untimely death of Miss Irish’s child was the man who had earlier spoken of his resentment at feeding and raising another man’s child.
‘That man kicked, punched and dragged her along a road and she ran from him while he hunted for her.’
Despite the terrifying ordeal, Ms Irish stayed with Davison. Then in September 2020 he attacked her again.
Davison was found guilty on four counts, including actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm with intent, and perverting the course of justice with intent.
Davison, representing himself, maintained his innocence and claimed he was a ‘peaceful, spiritual person’.
He told the court today: ‘The fundamental fact is I didn’t commit the crime.
‘I’ve never had any intentions of harming a woman. I’m quite a peaceful person into my health and spiritual development.’
The court heard that Davison was on licence for assaulting another previous partner when he committed the assault which killed Ms Irish’s unborn child in May 2020.
Kate Lewis, crown prosecutor for CPS Wessex, said ‘Right from the very beginning of this heart-breaking case, the CPS worked closely with the police to make sure there was a strong prosecution case.
‘The evidence of witnesses, CCTV, medical professionals and mobile phone data meant that we were able to prove that Davison set out to attack his partner and cause the death of her child.
‘Davison is a serial domestic abuser, whose violence caused the tragic death of an unborn baby.
‘It is absolutely devastating to know that a baby, still entirely dependent on its mother, died at the hands of such a violent attacker.
‘We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable people in our society by ensuring that violent perpetrators are brought to justice.’
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