A jealous 'monster' beat his girlfriend and left his friend with life-threatening injuries by savagely attacking them over 'utterly groundless' suspicions they'd had an affair.
Ian Hood suddenly turned on his girlfriend and long-term pal as all they socialised together at the friend's home in Gateshead. After assaulting his partner, he launched a horrific attack on his friend when he sought to intervene, leaving him with multiple facial fractures and having to eat through a tube.
Newcastle Crown Court heard Hood then sparked a dangerous high speed police chase before decamping into woodland, emerging wearing body armour when a police dog hunted him down. Now the 46-year-old, who admitted a long list of offences including GBH with intent, has been jailed for 13 years and 10 months.
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The court heard it was on June 10 2020 that Hood went with his partner to the home of his friend. Hood had consumed most of a bottle of vodka before going and bought banana sambuca on his way there.
The two men consumed alcohol and everything seemed fine but the mood changed. Nick Dry, prosecuting, said: "The defendant became obsessed with the notion (his friend) had been having a sexual relationship with (his girlfriend), an utterly groundless accusation.
"They both denied it and tried to calm him down. It's very clear he was not for calming down and became violent, punching (his girlfriend) in the face then turning on (his friend). Standing above (his friend), who was sitting on the settee, the defendant rained down multiple blows on him and quickly rendered him unconscious, only for the attack to continue.
"The defendant took it in turns to attack his girlfriend and friend. (His girlfriend) was repeatedly punched then, as she went to the ground, he kicked her to the ribs. She was distraught and fled the house."
Hood's girlfriend, who suffered bruising, abrasions, a broken finger and sore ribs, staggered towards a nearby shop in a dishevelled state and a motorist came to her aid.
Meanwhile, Hood locked his badly injured friend in his own home, taking his phone and driving at high speed away from the scene. Police forced entry to the home and found him barely conscious.
A pathologist found he had severe head injuries and multiple facial fractures to his eye socket, cheek and jaw. He had suffered at least 14 strikes to the head with a weapon. Hood pleaded guilty on the basis it was a knuckle duster rather than a hammer. If Hood's girlfriend had not alerted police to his plight, he may have died, the court heard.
He also had multiple rib fractures and damage to his chest, injuries consistent with kicks, stamps and forceful punches. Mr Dry said: "The combination of injuries posed significant and particular life-threatening danger to his airways." In contrast, Hood was unmarked but was covered in his friend's blood.
After fleeing the scene, Hood then sparked a police chase as he sped through the streets of Gateshead, even passing his partner as people came to her aid. On Old Durham Road he did up to 80mph in a 30 zone, sometimes on the wrong side of the road, running red lights and forcing other motorists to take evasive action.
He also rammed a police car, drove the wrong way down a slip road and officers abandoned the pursuit given the risk. He drove the wrong way down a carriageway, narrowly missing oncoming vehicles. He also drove along the central reservation with no lights before coming to a stop.
Hood them decamped from the car and went into woodland. Police found his dog and a hammer in the car before sending a police dog into the woods to look for him.
He was found hiding in undergrowth and emerged wearing body armour and appeared under the influence of drink or drugs and was violent.
The court heard after he was remanded in custody, he perverted the course of justice by pressuring his girlfriend to withdraw her statement in calls from prison. He even told her to go and see his friend and offered her money, a car and a new phone if she did what he wanted.
Mr Dry said: "In one call he acknowledged her fear of him, saying she had seen the monster in him."
Hood, 46, of Northbourne Street, Gateshead, who has a long list of previous convictions, including wounding with intent where he stabbed two people, pleaded guilty to GBH with intent, assault, dangerous driving, perverting the course of justice, driving while disqualified, having no insurance and failing to provide a specimen. He was jailed for a total of 13 years and 10 months and will be banned from driving for three years after his release.
The court heard that his partner, who after the attack she was "struck by the pure evil in his eyes", is now back in touch with him and has visited him in prison.
Hood's friend said in a victim impact statement: "I've lost all my trust in people. If he can do this to me, someone I've known for years and trusted and spent time with him, how do I know I'm safe with people I don't know.
"He was supposed to be my friend and he did this. He did it for no reason whatsoever. What's to stop him doing it again."
He said he now has memory and concentration problems and the attack changed the shape of his jaw, meant he had to have his teeth removed and is now fed through a tube into his stomach. He said Hood knew he had got over throat and head cancer and even helped him get through it and added: "Now because of him I can't eat again. I can't get over that fact."
Adam Birkby, defending, said: "I accept it was a sustained beating and I accept it was motivated by jealousy. He has expressed remorse and has shown insight into his offending."
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