Joshua Platt Jailed After Strangling Pregnant Girlfriend, Wales 2026

Key Points

• Thirty-two-year-old Joshua Platt is now behind bars for 30 months following his conviction of intentionally strangling and assaulting his girlfriend while pregnant.
• The incidents occurred at the home of the accused in Chepstow on 6 June of last year.
• The girl was nine weeks pregnant with Platt’s baby at the time of the assault.
• Platt placed both his hands around her neck three or four times.
• Additionally, he forced her down, tugged her hair and made some insults at her during the attack.
• The attack occurred after Platt had consumed alcohol and cocaine.
• Platt was found guilty by a jury sitting at Cardiff Crown Court where he denied committing the offences.
• She stated that the attack would haunt her for the rest of her life and that she would like to move on.
• Platt was slapped with a five-year restraining order.
• He will be paying a victim surcharge after his release, although he was not told to contribute to prosecution costs of £4,380.

Wales (Wales Times) September 26, 2026 – After a jury convicted him of intentionally strangling and assaulting his pregnant girlfriend during an alcohol and cocaine-fuelled attack.

Platt, 32, of Lady Margaret Court, Thornwell, Chepstow, was sentenced to 30 months in prison at uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff Crown Court. The court heard that his former girlfriend was nine weeks pregnant with his child when he returned to his flat intoxicated after consuming alcohol and cocaine.

According to the South Wales Argus, Platt placed both hands around the woman’s neck three or four times. He also pushed her over and grabbed her hair. The newspaper reported that Platt had denied the offences, which occurred on June 6 last year, but was convicted following a trial.

The case involved two offences: intentional strangulation and assault by beating. The prosecution said the assault happened in circumstances involving alcohol and cocaine.

How did the court describe the attack?

Recorder Claire Pickthall told Platt that he had returned home while intoxicated after consuming alcohol and cocaine. She said his former girlfriend was at the flat and was nine weeks pregnant with his child.

The judge said Platt called the woman a highly offensive insult before placing both hands around her neck. She said the strangulation happened three or four times.

The court heard that the victim’s physical injuries were limited to redness around her neck. Recorder Pickthall said it was fortunate that the injuries were not more serious.

The sentence reflected the seriousness of the conduct, including the repeated strangulation and the fact that the victim was pregnant with Platt’s child at the time. The judge told him that the offences were serious enough to justify only an immediate custodial sentence.

The South Wales Argus reported that Platt was subsequently jailed for 30 months and made subject to a five-year restraining order.

What did the victim say in court?

Pamela Kaiga, prosecuting, read the victim’s impact statement to Cardiff Crown Court.

In the statement, the woman said the incident would remain with her for the rest of her life. She also said she did not want to see Platt and wanted to move on.

Her statement provided the court with an account of the continuing effect of the assault. The prosecution presented it during sentencing after the jury had found Platt guilty of intentional strangulation and assault by beating.

The victim’s identity has not been published in the available reports.

What did the defence say?

Platt’s barrister, Hilary Roberts, argued on his behalf that the victim had suffered no significant harm.

The defence also told the court that Platt had not used Class A drugs since the offences and that his alcohol consumption was now under control. The barrister said the probation service believed it could work with Platt.

The court further heard that Platt had entered a new relationship with a woman living in Pontypool and that there had been no issues between them.

The defence also referred to the circumstances surrounding the assault. It was heard that Platt had recently learned that his mother was terminally ill when the offences took place.

Those points were presented in mitigation. However, Recorder Pickthall concluded that the offences were sufficiently serious to require immediate imprisonment.

What sentence did Joshua Platt receive?

Platt received a 30-month prison sentence.

He was also given a five-year restraining order preventing contact with the victim for the period set by the court. The order forms part of the sentence and is intended to protect the woman following the conviction.

The court ordered that a victim surcharge would be payable after Platt’s release. The surcharge is a statutory payment imposed on offenders to support services for victims of crime.

Platt was not ordered to make a contribution towards prosecution costs, which were stated in court as £4,380.

The sentence followed his conviction for intentional strangulation and assault by beating. The available report said the jury found him guilty after a trial during which he denied the allegations.

Where did the offences take place?

The offences took place at Platt’s flat in Chepstow on June 6 last year.

Platt was living at Lady Margaret Court, Thornwell, in Chepstow. The case was heard at Cardiff Crown Court, where the details of the attack, the victim’s impact statement and the sentencing arguments were presented.

The incident was reported as taking place after Platt returned to the property while intoxicated. The court heard that his alcohol consumption was combined with cocaine use.

The case highlights the circumstances surrounding a domestic assault conviction without adding claims beyond the evidence reported in court. The available reports do not identify the victim or provide additional medical details beyond the redness around her neck.

What is known about Platt’s previous convictions?

The court heard that Platt had previous convictions, although none were relevant to the offences for which he was sentenced.

The South Wales Argus did not report the nature of those previous convictions. It also reported that Gwent Police had been asked for a mugshot of Platt.

No further details about his criminal record should be inferred from the available court report. The conviction in this case concerned intentional strangulation and assault by beating.

Why was the case treated as serious?

The case was treated as serious because it involved repeated pressure being applied to the victim’s neck during an assault. The victim was also nine weeks pregnant with Platt’s child at the time.

The court heard that Platt placed both hands around her neck three or four times. The attack also involved pushing her over and pulling her hair.

Although the reported physical injury was redness around the neck, the judge said the limited nature of the injury was fortunate. The sentence therefore reflected the conduct described in court, rather than the extent of visible injury alone.

The fact that the offences occurred in a domestic relationship was also central to the case. The victim and defendant were partners, and she was carrying his child when the assault occurred.

What did the court order after his release?

Platt was made subject to a five-year restraining order.

The order is intended to restrict contact with the victim after his release and remains separate from the 30-month prison sentence. The available report does not specify every condition attached to the order.

He must also pay a victim surcharge after his release. However, the court did not require him to contribute towards the £4,380 prosecution costs.

The sentencing arrangements were reported by the South Wales Argus following the hearing at Cardiff Crown Court.southwalesargus

What happened before the sentence?

Before sentence was passed, the jury heard the allegations and considered Platt’s denial of the offences. The prosecution case concerned an assault on June 6 last year, when the victim was nine weeks pregnant.

The court heard evidence that Platt had consumed alcohol and cocaine before returning to the flat. The alleged conduct included strangulation, pushing and hair-pulling.

After considering the evidence, the jury convicted him of intentional strangulation and assault by beating. The sentence was then imposed by Recorder Claire Pickthall.

The available report does not provide a full transcript of the trial or every piece of evidence presented to the jury. The details included here are limited to the information reported after the conviction and sentencing.

What does the case show about the impact on the victim?

The victim said the assault would stay with her for the rest of her life. She told the court that she did not want to see Platt and wanted to move on.

Her statement communicated the emotional effect of the incident in addition to the physical injuries reported during the hearing. The court heard that the redness around her neck was the main recorded physical injury described in the sentencing remarks.

The five-year restraining order was imposed as part of the court’s response to the case. It is designed to provide legal protection from contact during the period specified by the judge.

Background to intentional strangulation offences

Intentional strangulation is a serious criminal offence involving the deliberate restriction of another person’s breathing or blood flow by applying pressure to the neck. In this case, the conviction was recorded alongside assault by beating.

The prosecution and sentencing focused on the allegation that Platt placed both hands around his former girlfriend’s neck three or four times. The court also considered the surrounding assault, including the pushing and hair-pulling.

The available report states that Platt denied the offences before the jury convicted him. It also records that he had previous convictions, but none were relevant to the present case.

The court’s sentence consisted of 30 months’ imprisonment, a five-year restraining order and a victim surcharge payable after release. The judge said the offences were serious enough to require immediate custody.southwalesargus

How could this development affect the local community?

The case may reinforce the importance of reporting domestic abuse and seeking support where a person feels at risk. For residents in Chepstow and the wider South Wales area, the conviction demonstrates that domestic assaults can result in imprisonment and protective court orders even where visible injuries are limited.

The case may also increase awareness of the seriousness of pressure applied to the neck during an assault. The court heard that the victim experienced redness around her neck, but the judge still regarded the repeated strangulation as sufficiently serious to justify immediate custody.

The five-year restraining order could provide the victim with additional legal protection after Platt’s release. The precise conditions of that order were not included in the available report, so no further restrictions should be assumed.

The case also shows how sentencing can take account of several factors at once, including the repeated nature of the assault, the victim’s pregnancy, the use of alcohol and cocaine, the defendant’s mitigation and the continuing impact described in the victim’s statement.