Bournemouth man jailed for spate of violent offending

Wayne John Rayner rained blows with clenched fists upon the woman before headbutting and biting her.

He threw a coffee table at her before leaving the victim's home with his partner.

The 38-year-old also assaulted his partner twice with other offences committed against police officers, including when a constable was trying to give him first aid.

During a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday, August 7, Judge Jonathan Fuller KC jailed Rayner for four years and two months. 

He told the defendant: “You have an established record of violent offending which seems to me to be pretty well entrenched.”

Wayne John Rayner, 38 and previously of Seabourne Avenue, Bournemouth (Image: Dorset Police)

Prosecuting, Rob Griffiths said the first offence in time that Rayner fell to be sentenced for was an assault by beating on PC Bryant at a hotel in Nuneaton.

Police were called to reports of a disturbance at a Holiday Inn on November 19, 2021. Rayner was shouting and swearing following a domestic incident with his partner.

The defendant refused to be arrested and during the struggle that followed Rayner flailed and kicked out, hitting PC Bryant in the head.

His next assault, deemed the most serious by the judge, was at a home in Leicester on January 16, 2022.

Rayner and his partner were visiting someone they had become friends with.

Judge Fuller KC said “much drink was taken and there was an argument”.

The court heard Rayner falsely accused the complainant of “trying it on” with his partner.

“In short you are said to have lunged at her,” Judge Fuller KC said. “Raining blows with clenched fists to her head.”

He continued: “You proceeded to headbutt her in the nose and you said ‘you are lucky I don’t kill you’.”

The defendant pinned the complainant down and continued to punch her before biting her neck and arm.

The woman managed to raise the alarm in the sheltered accommodation but Rayner’s partner told the security service that everything was fine and they did not attend.

“The assault continued and you on this occasion threw a coffee table at her,” the judge said. “You both then left.”

The court heard security got back in touch with the complainant and emergency services attended her home.

“This was a nasty, prolonged and repeated attack whilst you were in drink,” Judge Fuller KC said.

The rest of the defendant’s crimes took place in Bournemouth.

Police were called to a suspected robbery in the Central Gardens on August 19 last year. Rayner was initially thought to be involved but he was not, however, he was arrested as he was wanted on a warrant.

Whilst being arrested he persistently kicked PC Dredge in the knee.

The officer told Rayner to stop, but he did not and the constable punched him in the nose.

Eight days later police were called to the Lower Gardens over a disturbance involving Rayner and his partner.

During another struggle with officers, the defendant punched one in the face and pulled another to the ground after grabbing her by the hair.

On December 20, 2022, Rayner assault his partner at the hostel where they were staying in Glen Road.

The woman did not want to cooperate with police but it was indicated that the defendant punched her in the face a couple of times.

His offending came to a conclusion on January 6 in Christchurch Road.

Rayner, previously of Seabourne Avenue, Bournemouth, was seen pushing his partner to the ground, causing her to hit her face.

Police were called and tried to provide first aid to a head injury the defendant had after he was reportedly assaulted by several men.

The offender spat at PC Lamb and PC Marjason.

In a statement, PC Lamb said he “could not get his head around while you were being helped by him why you would spit at him”.

Rayner pleaded guilty to six counts of assaulting an emergency worker, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of failing to surrender to custody at court having been released on bail. He was also convicted in his absence of a second assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the incident in Leicester.

Bournemouth Crown Court

Mitigating, Philomena Murphy said the offences were all borne out of alcohol use together with significantly poor mental health.

She said he had trauma in his formulative years which left him “almost brought up by the prison system”.

“He is quite an articulate individual,” Ms Murphy said. “He makes no excuses for his behaviour but one hopes that there can be some change.”