A furious woman armed herself with “martial arts sticks” and tried to smash her way into her ex-boyfriend’s bedroom as he screamed for help from an upstairs window.
Buathip Kendray, 49, showed up on her former partner’s doorstep in a rage after she learned he had taken up with another woman and was living with her in the home they once shared on Central Avenue, Speke, on August 6 2023. She tore a wing mirror off his car, hurled planks of wood and kicked over a wheelie bin before smashing her way into the house through the living room window.
She then made her way upstairs and attempted to break down the door of a bedroom, where her ex, Steven Woods, and his new girlfriend had barricaded themselves as they waited for police to arrive.
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Prosecutor Derek Jones told Liverpool Crown Court on January 5: “It was the morning of August 6 when the defendant has attended. Mr Woods has heard her shouting outside the address. She then proceeded to rip the wing mirror of his car, throw items up towards the bedroom window where Mr Woods was watching her, and then smashed a ground floor window to the lounge. The defendant then entered the property. Mr Woods and his girlfriend were so concerned they called the police and barricaded themselves in the bedroom.
“The defendant went upstairs and was trying to break into the bedroom using some martial arts sticks which belonged to Mr Woods.”
Video footage captured part of Kendray’s furious tirade, in which she could be seen shouting and gesturing in the driveway of Mr Woods’ home before vandalising his car, kicking over his wheelie bin and throwing planks of wood. Mr Woods could be heard begging police on the phone, “Please, I need someone now”, as the sound of glass shattering was heard.
Officers arrived to Mr Woods shouting from the bedroom. They entered the house and arrested Kendray – who later pleaded guilty to criminal damage and affray. Police bodycam footage showed broken windows and damage to the bedroom door where the mum-of-two had attempted to break in.
Martine Snowden, defending, said: “She’s a 49-year-old woman with no previous convictions. She is ordinarily in full time work and this is the only criminal act in her life.
“This happened in the complainant’s own home, but at the time she believed it was still her home. Of course his name was on the deeds and he had recently changed the locks, but she had, until recently, been cohabiting there. She, as a result of the falling out between them, had been made homeless. She was obviously very upset, made worse by the presence of another female in the bedroom.”
Judge John Benson, sentencing Kendray, said: “You went to that address at Central Avenue clearly in a highly aroused and angry state, and having arrived you engaged in what was clearly a persistent and determined course of violent conduct towards the property, aimed at Mr Woods. All that because your relationship with Mr Woods had ended. You were clearly upset and annoyed that the relationship had ended, but that does not excuse you at all from your disgraceful behaviour.
“I accept that you reflect on what you did on that day and are genuinely remorseful, and acknowledge that what you did was serious and would have been very scary and terrifying for Mr Woods and the woman who was in that property at the time. It’s sad to see someone of your age sitting in this crown court because you are 49 and you have never been in trouble before.”
He sentenced Kendray, of Cox Close, Suffolk, to at 18 month community order, including a rehabilitation activity requirement and 80 hours of unpaid work. She was also given a restraining order banning her from going near Mr Woods or his new girlfriend in the future.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
