‘Black Heathcliff’ detained in mental hospital after race attack on girlfriend

Howson, 24, pleaded guilty last month to racially abusing his former girlfriend, who is also the mother of their three-month-old daughter.

The actor won the role in last year’s film adaptation after attending auditions advertised on the wall of his local Job Centre.

A court heard previously he had threatened to smash ex-girlfriend Shakira Ramdihal against a wall and warned, “If I catch you I’m going to kill you”, after they split up.

Howson’s abuse went on for four months, even after Shakira gave birth to their daughter.

When she and her mother refused to let him see the baby, he told them: “I will smash your head against the wall and there will be no baby... you ****ing P*** bitches.”

He was due to be sentenced today at Leeds Magistrates Court, but a staff nurse from a hospital in Newcastle called the court in the morning to say he had been taken into care.

He has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and will be under observation for 28 days.

He will next appear in court on March 26.

Speaking outside the court after today’s brief hearing, Anthony Sugare, Howson’s solicitor, said: “The position is that on arriving at court this morning, I was told that the court itself had heard from the hospital that he had been taken in there under the Mental Health Act for a period of 28 days for observation.

“As far as Mr Howson is concerned he did not have a career in acting. He was plucked from obscurity and he didn’t think much of it.

“ It was a brief part in his life, he has now gone back to his usual deep self.”