A man has been jailed for a “sustained” assault on his partner with an empty paint tin after she had earlier emptied the contents over him.

Leeds Crown Court heard James Ryan and Janet Naylor had been in a relationship for around 24 years which she described as volatile because both of them drank on occasions.

However after August last year the relationship deteriorated further, Carmel Pearson prosecuting told the court.

One evening in the summer after she had asked him to leave for 'backhanding her', Ryan had returned and they struggled through a broken window when he tried to pull some boarding away which was in place following a burglary.

He was outside and during the struggle Ms Naylor’s finger was cut on some broken glass.

There was then an incident on another occasion when he slapped her in front of a neighbour after he had been drinking.

Miss Pearson said the final incident with the paint can happened on September 3 when they were in an upstairs bedroom and Ms Naylor realised he was going to turn violent and shouted for help out of the window.

Before she could be heard however Ryan dragged her away from the bed, pushed her to the floor face down and began hitting her.

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The tin of paint was nearby and she grabbed it and tried to hit him with it to protect herself but ended up pouring the paint over him which allowed her to escape.

She ran out of the house hoping to attract the attention of neighbours but there was no one around. She thought Ryan had left the area having seen him come outside and so went back to the house but found he was inside.

Miss Pearson said Ryan picked up the paint tin and repeatedly struck his partner with it about her face, head and body. When he eventually stopped she went to hospital where she had bruising particularly to her face and left temple as well as a split lip, pain in her jaw and bruising on her arms and body.

Matthew Harding representing Ryan said he accepted it was a deeply unpleasant incident, although he had little recollection of it, he was realistic about his position.

The complainant still wanted to rekindle the relationship which although volatile had not been violent in the past considering that was out of character for him.

Ryan, 44 of Hazel Avenue, Chickenley, Dewsbury admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and two offences of common assault.

Jailing him for a total of 15 months, Recorder Abdul Iqbal QC said on September 3 no doubt through his alcohol misuse Ryan had become angry and the assault began with him dragging her from the bed.

He subjected her to a sustained assault which ended when she grabbed the paint tin, the lid came off and she poured it over him to escape.

She only returned thinking Ryan had left. He said Ryan then grabbed the tin and struck her repeatedly to the face, body and arms with it in another sustained assault “no doubt still outraged by what she had done to you, you used it as a weapon of revenge.”

He said if the first part of the incident had not been pre-meditated the second clearly was.