WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Lewis Walker pleaded guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour at Liverpool Crown Court, admitting animal cruelty and domestic abuse spanning more than five years
A brute who attacked a dog with a hammer has been told to anticipate a jail sentence as his supporters told him “love you” in court. Lewis Walker also recorded himself savagely kicking his girlfriend’s pet during an extended period of abuse spanning over five years.
The 33-year-old, from Cherry Sutton in Widnes, was scheduled to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday (September 7) facing a total of 11 charges related to his now ex-partner.
These included accusations of assault causing actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation, making threats to kill, making threats with an offensive weapon in a private place, stalking, criminal damage and inflicting unnecessary suffering on an animal by hitting the victim’s dog with a hammer.
However, appearing in the dock on Monday afternoon dressed in a black Hugo Boss t-shirt with a cross visible around his neck, Walker pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.
This charge stated that, between November 1 2019 and March 26 2026, he subjected his then girlfriend to assaults, locked her out of her property, damaged her possessions and subjected her to threatening behaviour, as well as “mistreating animals “, thereby “causing her serious alarm or distress”.
Footage showed Walker filming himself shouting at and repeatedly kicking his victim’s dog while the pet whimpered in pain on the floor. It is understood the dog has since been euthanised, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Oliver Saddington, prosecuting, suggested this guilty plea would be satisfactory to the Crown Prosecution Service, with the claims in the remaining charges to be included “within the factual matrix” of the controlling behaviour count.
Defence counsel Paul Wood, on the other hand, informed the court: “I say for the record, that plea represents the entirety of the allegations against the defendant.
“I accept, and the defendant accepts through me, that this is a serious example which is very likely to fall in the top category of the sentencing guidelines. The issue will be length, rather than type of sentence.”
Walker, who also has a tattoo on the right side of his face, will now be sentenced on September 28.
He was further remanded into custody until this date, having given a thumbs up to the public gallery as he was led to the cells.
His supporters told him “love you Lew”, “love you bro” and “love you babe” as he was led away.
Adjournment of the case, Recorder Nicola Daley told him: “I am going to adjourn sentence.
“There is no application in relation to you, and so you will be remanded into custody until September 28.
“All sentencing options will remain open. Your barrister has already indicated to me that you are alive to the likely nature of the sentence.
“The decision on the next occasion will be what length that sentence ought to be. You will be given appropriate credit for the fact that you have pleaded guilty today.”
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