A man who beat his ex so badly her daughter couldn't recognise her is set to be released from jail just over six weeks after he was sentenced.
Daniel Smith, 35, knocked Stacey Hobson, then 28 and from Leeds, unconscious as he beat her in front of their four-year-old daughter. Their little girl pleaded, "daddy, don't hit mummy" as he attacked Stacey in her front garden.
Stacey, a barmaid, has said she gave Smith access to his daughter reluctantly, and they took her to a children's party together. Afterwards they went out for a drink.
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While they were in the pub, a row broke out. Smith went to buy Stacey flowers, claiming they were a peace offering. But she made it clear that was it and she wanted nothing more to with him. At this point, Smith grabbed Stacey by the throat and then began to hit her.
She sustained a fracture to her eye socket, bite marks to her legs, lumps on her head and swelling on her face that affected her nose. Smith changed his plea to guilty of causing ABH, and was jailed for 12 months on February 2, 2022.
However, he had already served five months - so these were taken off his sentence. Leeds Crown Court heard Smith had already served three sentences in jail, having been released from one of them just months before the attack.
He has been given an indefinite restraining order, but Stacey is dreading him being released from jail on March 20. It was August 8, 2021 when the couple went out for a drink after going to the kid's party together.
Smith threatened a customer in the bar, got aggressive, and put his forehead against Stacey's threateningly. The two were chucked out for rowing soon after.
Stacey, now 29, said she could not remember the incident for months, adding: "The last thing I remember was him choking me in the garden after climbing over the gate. The sentence he got was absolutely pathetic. It was horrible my daughter seeing my like that.”
Stacey continued: "It was horrible when my daughter saw me the next morning she did not think it was her mummy. He is out March 20. I still have nightmares. I wake up and cannot move thinking he is on top of me trying to kill me.
“I don't go out to take my daughter to school unless someone comes with me. She is scared to answer the phone, or open letters and keeps the door locked. He had soft justice and got a poxy sentence.”
The victim impact statement made it clear their child had been badly affected by the events. The judge said: "She made her way to home and you decided, I am prepared to accept, to reconcile such differences as existed at that time by buying a peace offering in the form of flowers.
“What took place, whether it starts off you being defensive, she attacking you or otherwise, it is quite clear that you went beyond that, even if it started like that.
“She lost consciousness as a result of the last punch she received and she doesn't remember anything until the police officer arrives and speaks to her.
“If you had any care for the child you did not show that in the course of this incident, because the child was present, both of you had been drinking together and also in the house when you carried out this attack.
“At one stage as is referred to, where you were drinking, the child was heard saying "Daddy, don't hit mummy."
“And when the police officer arrived the child was to say and you can't say that she's lying that you had punched her and the victim had fallen on top of her.”
