A Lockwood man has been jailed for 18 months for an assault on his girlfriend which a judge said had left her with “nasty and unpleasant injuries”.
Leeds Crown Court heard Dominic James Hall and Maisie Whiteley had been in a relationship for about four years prior to the incident.
Michael Smith prosecuting told the court the relationship was “punctuated by violence and paranoia” and Hall was jailed in 2014 for an assault against the same complainant.
On February 7 this year they spent the evening together having a drink and walking a dog before returning to her home where Hall became abusive to her. He called her a slag and dragged her off the sofa on to the floor. Mr Smith said at that point Miss Whiteley fearing further violence accepted she bit Hall’s thumb and hand but it had no affect on him.
He grabbed her and bit her on to the face and her hand before punching her in the face using both fists. He was being abusive to her and she tried to protect herself with her arms.
While she was still on the floor she was poked in the eye. At one stage she blacked out and when she woke up Hall was sitting on the sofa crying and said: “Why do you make me do it.”
She told him: “I don’t make you do anything, it’s the way you are.”
In addition to the bitemarks on her face and hand his victim had a bruised and swollen eye, other marks to her face and scratches to her chest and neck. She also had pain to her head and said clumps of her hair were falling out.
Adam Birkby representing Hall said after his release from that sentence he and the complainant had got on well for 18 months until the February incident.
“He accepts the relationship is toxic and simply cannot continue, when they are together they drink, there is jealousy and envy from both sides, they argue and then there is violence.”
READ MORE: Kirklees Council refuses to rule out demolishing Huddersfield's most important car park
READ MORE:
“He says his response to being bitten was disproportionate and would apologise for the pain caused to his ex-partner.”
Hall, 25 of Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.
Jailing him Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: “It doesn’t need me to tell you it was a cowardly thing to do, you are a bully so far as this lady is concerned.”
The judge said he had seen photographs of her injuries “they are nasty and unpleasant.”
He imposed a restraining order banning Hall from contacting his victim directly or indirectly or going to her home in Holmfirth.
