A "violent and abusive" man repeatedly smashed his partner's head into the floor and threw a mirror and cabinet at her from the top of the stairs, a court heard. He also spat in her face and slapped her while he made her pack his bags.
Drunken bully Lewis Gibson, 35, had drunk seven bottles of beer before he viciously attacked his then girlfriend at her Newport home late into May 31 and the early hours of June 1. The father-of-two left her with severe cuts and bruises during the assault after he accused the victim of lying to him.
He had previously been made subject to a domestic violence protection notice but wormed his way back into his victim's life after apologising and claiming he would treat her better. But a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard Gibson became enraged while he and the victim were drinking and playing computer games at her home.
Read more court stories here
Prosecutor Alex Greenwood said Gibson took issue with a conversation the victim had had with his mother about his daughter, who he does not share with the victim. He claimed he was being lied to and facts were being kept from him, but as the victim went to leave he grabbed her by the hair.
The defendant when pushed the woman into the kitchen as she pleaded with him to stop. She was so frightened of Gibson she wet herself and was described as being "frozen with fear". He screamed at her and pointed at her face which caused her to fall to the floor and cover her face.
The court heard he undid a crucifix necklace from the victim's neck which he had bought her and threatened to cut it with scissors, before telling the victim to do it but she refused. Mr Greenwood said: "She believed he would kill her, his teeth were grinding, his face was close to hers and she described him spitting in her face and she could feel his anger."
The victim managed to run upstairs and barricaded herself in her bedroom but Gibson followed her and banged on the door screaming. The defendant was too strong and knocked the door off its hinges but the victim managed to escape. As she ran down the stairs Gibson threw a cabinet at her and a glass mirror which smashed and caused bruises and cuts to her thighs and calves.
Mr Greenwood continued: "She tried to escape and ran out the door but was pulled by her hair and dragged back into the lounge. He forced her face into his clothes and demanded she packed his stuff and during this smashed her face in the floor repeatedly causing her nose to bleed."
Ultimately, the victim was controlled by Gibson and packed the defendant's bag as he slapped her face repeatedly. The woman took hold of a wooden baseball bat but he grabbed it off her and pushed her to the floor, spat in her face, told her the attack was her fault because she lied and said: "No one will put up with a mouthy b****".
Gibson then emptied the bag of clothes the victim had packed and told her he "wasn't going anywhere". He pushed her into the lounge before saying "F*** it, you're not worth it". The woman had the opportunity to escape and ran to a neighbour's house where the police were called.
The defendant was arrested on June 2 and claimed it was the victim who had threatened him with a baseball bat after an argument but accepted he had held her arms and pushed her which he claimed caused the injuries. Gibson, of Rochester Road, Newport, later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage. The court heard he had previous convictions involving common assault, drunken and disorderly behaviour, and public order offences.
In a victim personal statement, the victim described her relationship with Gibson as "violent and abusive". She said she was left with bruises and cuts to her body which she had to conceal from her children. As a result of the assault, she had been diagnosed with trauma-related anxiety and panic attacks.
She said she now feels the need for additional security measures to keep her and her children safe. She added: "This will stay with me for a long time.
Defence barrister William Bebb said his client recognised the "severity of the situation" and had been punished after being remanded in custody, which meant he was unable to see his children. He said the defendant was "incredibly frustrated" with himself for letting himself and his family down.
Sentencing, Recorder IWL Jones said: "Domestic violence is serious, in fact I can go as far to say it's a serious problem in society and that's why the courts take a serious view of it... This can only be described as a sustained attack, not a one off... You shouted at her, threatened her, pushed her, spat at her in the face, and repeatedly slapped her..... You should be thoroughly ashamed of what you did."
Gibson was sentenced to a total of 16 months of imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order for five years.
READ NEXT:
-
Intoxicated driver crashed into lamppost and ran leaving passenger unconscious
- Paedophile sent vile messages to girl on library computer because he was 'bored'
-
Pensioner told '13-year-old girl' she was 'sexy' and he wanted to marry her
-
Stalker pretended to be woman's violent ex-partner in messages and followed her
You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here while this interactive tool allows you to check the latest crime statistics for your area:
