A man hit his girlfriend with a shovel as she fed her son breakfast before throwing bags of dog poo at her.
Jake Shaw then suffocated his partner with a pillow in a terrifying ordeal, which only ended when her dog sprung to her defence attacked the vile abuser - allowing her to escape.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Wednesday, that the 30-year-old and Kirsty Burrows had been in an "on off relationship" for around eight years after meeting via a dating website. Eve Salter, prosecuting, described how the couple had argued about their puppies on the evening of February 20 last year and she slept in her son's room that night as she "feared what the defendant may do".
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The following morning, she was giving her child his breakfast in the dining room of her home on Orrell Street in St Helens when Shaw suddenly struck her over the head with a spade. Ms Burrows sought to "shield herself" with her arms and legs, where further blows with the weapon landed.
When she went to leave in order to take her children to school, the thug refused to give her her car keys until she picked up bags of dog poo front the driveway. When she did so, Shaw "proceeded to throw the bags of faeces at her".
Ms Burrows suffered swelling to the back of her head and bruises to her arms and legs as a result of this initial assault. Then, at 9pm the same day, she was upstairs in bed when he knocked at the front door and asked if he could stay the night.
She agreed on the condition that her "intoxicated" boyfriend stay on the sofa. But, around 20 minutes later, Shaw entered her bedroom and began subjecting her to a second assault.
He sat on her legs "so she could not move" before hitting her twice to the chest and once to her left side, causing bruising. Further punches then connected with the back of her head before he sat on her again and suffocated her by placing a pillow over her face.
Shaw then similarly placed both of his hands over Ms Burrows' face, leaving her "unable to breathe". She punched him back at this stage and managed to break free, after which her assailant told her: "I'm going to get you done for assault."
When the victim tried to leave for her mum's house, he took hold of her son's school uniform "in an attempt to stop them". Shaw then picked up a "combat knife" and stated: "If you leave me, I'm going to kill myself."
He grabbed Ms Burrows once more, sparking her dog to "launch" itself at him in a bid to protect her. This resulted in the blade making contact with his girlfriend, causing a cut and bruising.
Shaw then grabbed the pet by the throat, pushed her to the floor and stamped on her neck. The complainant was able to escape to her mother's while he was fighting with the dog.
In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, Ms Burrows described how she had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffers from panic attacks and nightmares. She stated that she has been left "feeling worthless", adding: "I feel like my life is rubbish at the moment.
"I don’t feel like me. I feel like what happened to me is never going to leave me."
Shaw has five previous convictions for eight offences, including being jailed for 18 weeks in 2019 for battery against Ms Burrows. His defence counsel told the court that he denies having used the spade during his attack, but "accepts his actions were not acceptable and takes responsibility for those actions".
He has since moved away from the area and "sustained from taking any alcohol whatsoever". The defendant also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.
Shaw - now of Bankfield Court in Mirfield, West Yorkshire - admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was jailed for 10 months and handed a five-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Burrows.
Sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb said: "Offences of domestic violence involve a breach of the trust of an intimate relationship. I have concluded that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by an immediate term of custody.
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