A Kirkby Stephen man who punched, strangled and put his thumbs into his partner’s eyes during a domestic attack has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Patrick Green, 29, carried out the attack in drink at his Briarcote address in the town on October 27 last year.
Neighbours raised the alarm after hearing, over the course of around an hour, a woman screaming and yelling: “Stop thumping me.”
Green had pushed her onto the floor, punched her three times in the face and pinned her onto a sofa by the throat, leaving her struggling to breathe. He moved his thumbs into the corner of her eyes, causing extreme pain, before she was able to struggle free.
After she vowed to call for help, he took her mobile and said “how are you going to call the police when you haven’t got your phone?”, Carlisle Crown Court was told today.
As police approached Green’s house, he said to the woman: “Please don’t say anything. I will make it up to you. Just agree with me.”
Prosecutor Charles Brown said the woman feared she was “going to die”, adding: “She was in terror during the course of the incident.”
There were photographs of the victim’s injuries, the most striking of which was a mark to her neck caused by Green’s asphyxiation. In a statement, she described the psychological impact of the violence, and of suffering night terrors and panic attacks.
Green, who admitted actual bodily harm assault, had tried to address an alcohol problem. Kim Whittlestone, defending, spoke of a “troubled relationship” between the couple. “This is a man aged 29 who can be rehabilitated,” said Miss Whittlestone of Green. “He is motivated to address his offending behaviour.”
Recorder Anna Vigars QC suspended a 14-month jail term for 18 months. Green must complete alcohol and rehabilitation requirements, and 80 hours’ unpaid work. “It is plain to me you have caused not only physical harm to her, but also psychological harm,” the judge told him.
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