Team GB Olympic swimmer, 30, who won Commonwealth Games bronze avoids jail for attacking his fiancée during row at their £1m London flat

• James Disney-May was sentenced to 21 months in jail, suspended for 18 months
• He attacked his fiancée Eleanor Cooke at their £1million London flat last summer
• Cooke suffered seven injuries, including a ‘serious’ brain injury, during the attack
• Disney-May, 30, had pleaded guilty to causing Grievous Bodily Harm 
• You can contact The Samaritans helpline 24/7 on 116 123 for help and support 

A former GB Olympic swimmer who won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games was sentenced to nearly two years in jail for attacking his fiancée at their £1million London flat.

James Disney-May, 30, launched a vicious verbal attack and slapped Eleanor Cooke several times after a ‘jovial’ night out with friends last summer.

Miss Cooke suffered a ‘really serious’ brain injury after Disney-May wrestled her back into their luxury apartment in a head-lock and knocked her head hard on the floor. He also urged her to kill herself.

Disney-May, who was part of the 100m freestyle relay team at the London 2012 Olympics, pleaded guilty to causing Grievous Bodily Harm during the dispute. He was sentenced to 21 months jail today, suspended for 18 months.

James Disney-May (pictured today) was sentenced toto 21 months jail, suspended for 18 months, for attacking his fiancée at their £1million London flat

Disney-May (second left) pleaded guilty to causing Grievous Bodily Harm for the June 30th attack of Eleanor Cooke. Miss Cooke suffered a ‘really serious’ brain injury after he wrestled her back into their luxury apartment in a head-lock and knocked her head hard on the floor

The former Olympian, who had a well paid job in the City of London, wore a navy blue suit and an open neck white shirt when he received his sentence at Kingston Crown Court today. 

In addition to jail time, he was ordered to attend ‘building better relationship’ counselling, be subjected to an electronic tag monitored curfew at his parents’ house for the next four months and adhere to a restraining order not to come into contact with his victim or her parents for four years. 

Disney-May, who had been on remand in jail since his arrest, was also ordered to pay £2,000 costs. 

Disney-May and Miss Cooke had been in a relationship since August 2020. 

The couple moved in together at Miss Cooke’s parent’s flat in the converted Battersea Power station and they became engaged to be married in April while on holiday in Brazil. 

The assault took place at a £1million converted flat in Battersea Power Station (pictured)

James Disney-May (pictured posing for a photo in his Team GB kit ahead of the 2012 London Olympics) was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that competed in the London 2012 Olympics. He was also one of the Team GB 100 metre freestyle relay team who finished third to win bronze at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in 2014

However, the court heard how Disney-May went on to ‘goad and belittle’ Miss Cooke, who had a history of self-harm and attempts at suicide.

Crown Prosecutor James Lofthouse told how the Commonwealth medal winner had feared he would lose his well-paid job in the City of London, owed £9,000 in rent and begun ‘staying out late drinking and taking drugs’ in the weeks leading up the incident.

Mr Lofthouse described how Disney-May launched a vicious verbal attack and slapped Miss Cooke several times after the couple returned to their home following a night out on June 30 of this year.

Miss Cooke had recorded more than 30 minutes of the terrible argument which saw her threaten to jump off a 12th floor balcony.

Mr Lofthouse said: ‘In a mocking reference to her self-harm, Mr Disney-May said; “Go and jump off a f***ing cliff with someone else. No one will remember you, no one will care.”’

The court heard how Miss Cooke climbed over the balcony and was dangling from the 12th floor apartment in the early hours of the morning.

While their downstairs neighbours dialled 999, Disney-May dragged her back into the flat ‘aggressively’ by putting her in a head-lock and roughly dropping her to the floor, where she hit her head.

‘Clearly this is not a hero rescue case, a million miles away,’ the court heard.

The court heard how Miss Cooke suffered seven separate injuries consistent with a blunt trauma impact of the back of her head that has left her with permanent damage to hearing in her right ear and the loss of taste and smell.

‘The full extent of her injuries are not known,’ the court heard.

The former Olympian received his sentence at Kingston Crown Court today. In addition to jail time, he was ordered to attend ‘building better relationship’ counselling, be subjected to an electronic tag monitored curfew at his parents’ house for the next four months and adhere to a restraining order not to come into contact with his victim or her parents for four years. He was also ordered to pay £2,000 costs

In an impact statement, Miss Cooke told how she had suffered lifelong injures, was plagued by paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder and feared she could never trust man again.

She said: ‘I haven’t slept properly in months. I quite often wake up dreaming about James. I think that James will be a constant threat to me and my family.

‘I have concern for my future relationships. I have lost faith in men in general. 

‘I have been unable to return to work and I sit at home crying.’

Disney-May’s parents and sister were in court to support the former athlete, who has been held in prison on remand since his arrest on July 1.

He was part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that competed in the London 2012 Olympics. He was also one of the Team GB 100 metre freestyle relay team who finished third to win bronze at the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow in 2014.

There was no representative of Miss Cooke or her parents in court to hear the sentence.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.

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