Teacher ‘broke lesbian lover’s jaw’ after she revealed three-year affair to mother

A teacher broke the jaw of her lesbian lover after she revealed explicit details of their affair, a court has heard.

26-year-old Alexa Collier had been in a same-sex relationship with Nicola Lees, 28, for several years.

Ms Collier chose to keep the relationship secret from her family, fearful of how her mother would react to the news.

Ms Lees became frustrated at having to keep their love private, deciding to turn up at the home of her partner and mother.

According to the court, the altercation turned into an angry rage, with Ms Colier turning her partner away in a bid to keep her sexuality secret.

A doorstep argument broke out when Gill Collier, 53, called Miss Lees a “slut”, a “slag” and a “tramp” in the furious street row, it was alleged.

The victim responded: “I’m a tramp? Your daughter was in a hotel with me shagging!”

Collier and Miss Lees then broke into a street scuffle, it was claimed.

Ms Collier allegedly punched Miss Lees in the face with such force that it broke her jaw, requiring surgery using screws and a metal plate.

The angry altercation is said to have taken place in July last year after the couple split up.

Despite splitting after arguments about their relationship the pair continued to see each other in hotel meet-ups.

Miss Lees said: “We were together for three years and split up and we were still seeing each other, it was on and off. She never made it clear she didn’t want to be in a relationship with me.

“Alexa was telling me not to tell her mum and we were keeping it as a secret. She was scared of coming out to her parents.

“If she didn’t want a relationship why was she with me for three years and still seeing me for a year.

“Alexa was still seeing me, still texting me and going to hotel rooms. Clearly she was just doing it to keep me there hanging on.”

Miss Lees attended North Manchester General Hospital after the incident, where her face was x-rayed and underwent surgery.

She had to have a metal plate and three screws fitted to her lower jaw, which held her lower teeth in place following the altercation.

Miss Lees told the jury: “I went to her house with the intention to sort everything out and speak to her mum and get out what we had been doing for many years.

“My aim of going round was to put everything straight with her mum.

“I felt we needed to talk about things and I was claimed to be this person that I’m not.

“I’m nice person and everything needed to come out that we were in a relationship.

“I was told to go away because she didn’t want me to tell her mum that she was in a relationship with me and still seeing me.

“When I was told to go away her mum ran out of the house and started calling me a sl*** and s***, tramp and said ‘get away from my house’.

“I went to get in the car and Alexa came following me.

“I was shouting that it was all her mother’s fault that the relationship broke down and she forced us to split up.

“I did say if I was that much of a tramp and a s*** why was your daughter sleeping with me for the last week.

“The relationship wasn’t entirely over she kept telling me she loved me and would always love me.

“A neighbour came over and stood in the middle of us and I don’t remember much else, I was hit.

“The injury I sustained was a fractured jaw which the hospital had to operate on. After I received the blow I had gone home and my jaw was really sore. I lost the feeling in my chin, lip and side of my face. It just felt like it was hanging low.

“I couldn’t physically move when I happened. I couldn’t physically speak because if was sore, I was just mumbling words.”

Prosecutor David Bentley said: “For the first two years of their relationship it was a secret but by the third year Nicola wanted everyone to know that they were a couple.

“The defendant’s parents did not know she was in a relationship with another woman, although some of their friends knew.

“It seems that the relationship started to fail as a result of Nicola’s desire for it to become less secretive.

“Although the relationship had ended there was still contact over time between the two and it seems they spent time together in a hotel three weeks before the incident occurred.

“The complainant describes the defendant playing with her emotions and she asked a friend to take her to the address to speak to the defendant and her mum.

“Once she arrived at the address, the complainant knocked on the door. The defendant’s mum answered the door and the complainant asked to speak to Alexa.

“When the defendant came to the door the complainant told her she needed to stop posting things on social media and if they were not going to be together then they needed to stay way from each other.

“Alexa has gone inside the address and Nicola has turned to walk back to the car in which she arrived. Nicola then heard Alexa’s mother shouting, ‘I want to speak to Nicola’. The defendant stopped her at the front door but Nicola could hear her saying she wanted to speak to her and tell her to stay away.

“The defendant’s mum came up close to Nicola telling her to stay away and calling her a ‘tramp’.

“The complainant responded by saying, ‘You don’t know what’s been going on, do you know Alexa’s still seeing me?’

“Upon hearing this the defendant walked over to the complainant. There was pushing and shoving but no hitting.

“But as the complainant went to the passenger side of her friend’s car to get back, in the defendant’s mum shouted, ‘Get from my door, you tramp’.

“The complainant was annoyed and shouted back, ‘I’m a tramp? Your daughter was in a hotel with me, sh***ing me’.

“As soon as she had said this the defendant leaned around her neighbour who was stood between the two women and punched the complainant to the left side of her face before walking back towards the house.

“The complainant got back into the car and left the area but her face felt sore and she had lost sensation in her lip and chin area, with her facing starting to swell.”

Collier said no comment in police interview and denies causing grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.

• Dec 31 2024

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