Bristol man jailed for assaulting two girlfriends at his Brislington gym
40-year-old David Flowers has been sentenced to more than five years in prison following the incidents
Last updated 24th Aug 2023
A man from Brislington Hill has been jailed for more than five years for assaulting two women in his Bristol-based gym.
David Flowers, 40, was sentenced earlier this month after pleading guilty to two counts of causing actual bodily harm, one of false imprisonment and one of criminal damage.
Flowers was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday 17 August following his guilty plea, with the judge jailing him for five years and seven months for his crimes, which took place at the Armoury Gym - otherwise known as the Real Fitness Gym - which he owns and runs in Brislington.
The defendant's sentencing follows an incident back on September 10, 2021.
The court heard how Flowers became angry at his then-girlfriend and, over the course of three hours, then attacked a woman by repeatedly punching her whilst making derogatory comments and damaging her belongings.
The victim escaped the assault when a member of staff at the gym arrived.
Flowers was arrested and charged and was on court bail to appear in July 2023.
However, whilst he was on bail for this assault, he then assaulted his new partner at the same gym - which happened this year, on February 22.
He took her phone and punched her, before smashing her phone with a baton.
She escaped and was taken by two passers-by to a safe place so she could call the police.
Flowers was arrested the same day, charged and remanded into custody.
In his sentencing, Judge Cullum described Flowers as a 'danger to women' and emphasised the aggravating nature of the assaults in a domestic context.
Flowers was also directed to abide by two restraining orders, directing him to not contact either of his victims indefinitely.
These restraining orders also ban him from certain areas of Bristol for the next five years.
Alongside the court order, the judge granted a Criminal Behaviour Order to last for 10 years.
The CBO is in place from the date of his sentence and means Flowers must tell police if he changes his address or lives with any woman.
'He is a dangerous man'
DIO David Nicholls and PC Nate Andrews jointly worked on the case and bringing it before the court.
DIO Nicholls said: "Flowers is a violent individual with a history of violence against his partners.
"He used his place of work as a location for his attacks, withheld or damaged their property and left them fearing for their lives.
"He is a dangerous man and is now behind bars where he cannot cause any further harm.
"We would like to commend both victims for their bravery in coming forward. They have shown incredible resilience throughout the criminal process and great courage when hearing the details of each other's cases at the sentencing hearing.
"We hope this result, including the restraining order, will go a long way to making them feel safer."
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, please get in touch with us. If it is an emergency, call 999, or alternatively you can report it to the police online or via their non-emergency number 101.
To find out more about domestic abuse and what to do if you need to make a silent 999 call, you can find out more on the Avon and Somerset Police's portal.
You can also seek advice by the National Aid Helpline, Refuge on their website.