‘Pillar of the community’ handed restraining order after assaulting ex-partner

A “pillar of the community” has been handed a restraining order after a drunken assault on his ex-partner.Alan Taylor, 53, of Wimpole Drive in South Wootton, pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court in December, having originally denied it.Today, Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard a tearful impact statement from his victim, who said she had been left feeling “ashamed” and fearful to leave her house.

Taylor was also previously charged with coercive behaviour between January 2020 and October 2023. However, a Crown Prosecution Service administrative error meant this had to be withdrawn.He committed the assault on October 29, 2023, hitting the woman’s face after a party with friends and leaving her bruised.Taylor has been handed a three-year restraining order which will prevent him from attending the victim’s address or contacting her except via an agreed third party. He will also serve an 18-month community order made up of ten rehabilitation activity requirement days, 250 hours of unpaid work, and a 60-day alcohol monitoring requirement.The victim’s emotional statement today outlined how she has suffered emotionally, financially and socially since the assault. She feels “ashamed that I let him do this to me”, and claimed that “Alan has no trouble telling people his version of events”.She described herself as a “bag of nerves”, while the thought of seeing Taylor makes her “panic”.The court heard that Taylor breached his bail conditions on a number of occasions by contacting his victim, including on New Year’s Eve when he approached her in Lynn’s town centre. She also said Taylor was aiming to “destroy” her, and added: “I do not believe this man will leave me alone without a restraining order.”Taylor, the former managing director of the Lynn News and its sister title Your Local Paper, originally said that because the victim’s eyes were rolling back due to her drinking so much alcohol, he slapped the right side of her cheek.He was described as a “pillar of the community” during previous court hearings – and the victim herself referred to him in a similar manner today.In mitigation, solicitor Andrew Cole said Taylor was essentially a man of good character, with his only previous conviction dating back to 1989. Previously, solicitor Giles Fleming told magistrates that since losing his job, Taylor has been volunteering with charities such as The Purfleet Trust and Festival Too, both of which he is a trustee for.The victim made clear she did not want any compensation, and said: “This has never been about money. I do not want a penny from Alan Taylor.”She said that mutual friends of her and Taylor’s have “abandoned” her since the allegations came to light.“He has fed them lies about me and our relationship,” she added. PC Heidi Hollington, who led the investigation for Norfolk Police, said: “We must always listen to the voice of the victim who, in this case, felt silenced.“She decided to speak up and I do not underestimate the strength, courage and determination it must have taken her to do that. She deserves our thanks.”