Woman ‘asked friend to buy coffee’ but it was actually a secret message

Boyfriend threatened to shoot her in the face because she was ‘in a bad mood because there was no pot’

A domestic violence survivor “asked her friend to get coffee” as a secret code to signal her friend to call the police. Scott Berry brutally punched his girlfriend in the face during an unprovoked attack, leaving her with two black eyes.

He then threatened to shoot his partner and subjected her to a second attack “while he was in a bad mood because there was no cannabis”. Police officers later responded to the scene and discovered that the suspect had an imitation firearm hidden inside a duffel bag.

Liverpool Crown Court Yesterday afternoon, on Tuesday, I heard that Berry had been in an “on-and-off” relationship with Amy Dwyer for about five years and that the couple share a two-year-old child. He alleged that the 32-year-old, of no fixed address, had previously subjected him to “mental and physical abuse”, even though he had not previously been convicted of such offences.

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Prosecutor David Polglase said he was also subject to bail conditions prohibiting any contact with the defendant due to the alleged malicious communication offence. But Ms Dwyer was said to be “feeling pressure” to be allowed to continue living in her Stanley Road flat. Leakage Before an incident on September 7 this year in which Berry punched her twice in the face and left her with a black eye after telling her to leave his property.

Just over a week later, on September 15, when the couple was present at the address with friend Taygan McClure, it was stated that she was “agitated and in a bad mood because she had no marijuana to smoke.” When another argument broke out, he threatened: “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because your wife is here. I don’t care if you brought your wife here for protection. I’ll shoot you in the face and shoot you.” “I’ll shoot Taygan in the face.”

Ms McClure offered to lend Berry money to buy drugs for him, but this only “seemed to make him uneasy”. As he began to move towards the front door, Mrs. Dwyer “asked him to get a coffee”; The pair had previously agreed to use it as a “safe word” to indicate he should call the police.

The complainant tried to leave with her friend, but her boyfriend grabbed her legs and took off her shoes to prevent her from doing so. As Ms McClure fled the scene, Berry closed the door and punched her partner in the ribs.

Later, the police went to the apartment and seized the blank-fire gun along with the blank-fire gun from the sports bag. It was said that the gun’s barrel remained blocked because the gun was not converted to allow live ammunition to be fired.

While Berry did not produce any firearm at the time of the incident, Ms Dwyer stated that she had previously “possessed such a hand weapon”. He reportedly asked her to remove the item from her home, but he did not do so.

Neighbor Leah Denton also reported that Berry asked her to be careful with the blank-fire gun, but she did not refuse. Berry has a total of 14 previous convictions for 28 offenses and last appeared in court for criminal damage in 2020.

Charles Lander, defending, said: “He was released from his last prison sentence in December 2015. It was a long period of time before he was taken into custody again. Apart from one relatively minor matter, he has stayed out of trouble since.”

Mr Lander told the court his client bought the gun after receiving threats from a man accused in an incident with Ms Dwyer in which he was banned from contacting Berry, adding: “He says it was a fantasy. He was never going to use it, but he admits he had it.”

“He has no history of violence. He has a history with his health. He has ADHD. He also had a heart problem at the age of 18 that led to a pacemaker.

“He is very eager to find a job after his release. He took constructive steps in the few weeks he spent in custody. His aim is to continue these constructive steps.”

Berry admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to create fear of violence, threatening to kill and two counts of assault. The man, who attended HMP Liverpool via video link, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and given a seven-year restraining order.

Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “You threatened to shoot him and his friend in the face. This was not an idle threat. They both knew you were carrying a blank-fire pistol.

“Following these threats, you punched Ms Dwyer in the ribs as she tried to leave the building, causing bruising. This was not the first time you had been violent towards her as you had assaulted her last week.

“The background to all this is the breakdown of your relationship. It seems he was out on bail at the time for a crime he committed against you and you were threatened by his new partner.

“Although it offers an explanation for your possession of the gun, it offers no excuse. It is worth noting that some time has passed since you were last in custody.”