Castle Bromwich Community Website

A dad who smashed a dinner plate in his partner’s face, scarring her for life, has been jailed for more than three years.

David Gorrie hurled the plate at girlfriend Catherine Bird – who he’d been dating for18 months and is the mother of his baby son – with such force it shattered into dozens of pieces. The crockery shards left deep cuts in the 28-year-old’s forehead, cheek and chin, whilst fragments narrowly missed her left eye. She required more than 20 stitches.

And at Warwick Crown Courton Wednesday (June 30) Gorrie, who admitted GBH, was sentenced to serve three years and three months in prison. The court heard how the pair had been “generally bickering” at their home in Auckland Drive, Smiths Wood, on Saturday November 21 last year when 28-year-oldGorrie flipped and threw the plate. At first Gorrie claimed he only intended to throw his dinner over Miss Bird and that the plate had accidentally slipped out of his hand – but he later admitted deliberately using it as a weapon.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Craig Munro from Solihull Police, said: “They’d been arguing throughout the day, nothing too excessive, just the kind of squabbles that no doubt go on in households across the country every day. For some reason Gorrie snapped and hurled the plate. It was a big, thick, heavy plate and yet it smashed into dozens of pieces; it must have been thrown at full force to shatter in such a way.”

After the attack Gorrie went on the run for four days before officers tracked him down in Northfield, Birmingham, where he’s originally from. A restraining order was also imposed by the Judge which prohibits Gorrie ever trying to make contact Miss Bird again, unless supervised to visit his child.

Judge Orme, said: “The conclusion I have come to – which of course is one of the crucial reasons why I passed the sentence – is that at the moment he (Gorrie)…is a violent young man with an uncontrollable temper.” 

Miss Bird said she was pleased with the sentence and hoped that it would encourage other victims of domestic violence to report abusive partners. She added: “I want to reassure any women suffering at the hands of partners that the support is there – and if they’re strong, and report abuse to the police, they can put a stop to the violence. There are agencies who can offer expert support and advice, and counsellors to help you through the process. I’m pleased with the sentence that he (Gorrie) received and that he’s forbidden to come anywhere near me in future.”

DC Munro, added: “We have specialist teams dedicated to tackling domestic violence– no women should suffer in silence. We will actively pursue offenders through the courts and seek sentences that will improve the lives of victims.”

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