A violent thug who repeatedly punched his partner in the head before holding a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her has been jailed.
Michael Craven, 29, inflicted the “barrage of violence” on his partner in November 2021 after she confronted him about messages she found on his phone following a night of drinking. He appeared in Manchester Crown Court last week, where the court heard how Craven pinned his victim to the bed and punched her, before putting his arm around her neck and threatening her with a knife.
He then smashed a beer bottle and held it over her, before beginning to self harm and taking pills. His victim escaped to a friend’s house, who then drove her to hospital, after a “prolonged and persistent assault”.
In a statement to the court, his victim said she “did not think for a second” that her attacker had “the empathy” to realise the impact of his actions on “the women you prey on”.
“The physical injuries have faded. However, the emotional trauma and scars you have left will stay there for life,” she wrote.
“That night you handed me a life sentence.”
Craven had previously claimed his actions were self-defence after his victim had headbutted him, but Judge Lawton called the assertions “nonsense”.
Mitigating, Mr Sullivan said Craven had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and “realises that mistakes have been made,” but is now looking forward and keen to make changes.
“Mr Craven is highly motivated and keen to access any support available,” he said, outlining how the defendant had completed a course called ‘Changing thinking, ending violence’ while in custody. The court heard how Craven’s victim tried to support him with his issues, but he continued on a path of previous behaviour, which had seen him convicted previously for battery and harassment of a different partner.
He said the combination of Craven’s personality disorder and a lack of support available in the community resulted in a “toxic and ultimately violent mix”.
Craven was charged with controlling behaviour of his partner, assault and threatening to kill her. Judge Lawton called the attack a “brutal assault” and sentenced Craven, of Crowthorn Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, to 3 years imprisonment.
He noted Craven’s history of violence towards female partners, including a previous conviction from last year for which he had been handed a suspended sentence in order to allow him to continue to work on his personality disorder.
“You had that hanging over you, and you knew the consequences,” he said while handing down the sentence.
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