A MAN who bit, punched and throttled a woman in her home near Yate has been jailed.
Darren Morris, aged 54, also gouged at his victim’s eyes and pulled her hair during the “brutal” assault in March, which left her in need of hospital treatment.
Morris (above), of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court last week.
He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage, and one count each of intentional strangulation, assault causing actual bodily harm and battery.
Police say Morris was living at his victim’s home at the time of the incident.
A spokesperson said the woman “challenged Morris about a separate matter” before he attacked her.
The spokesperson said: “Morris then attacked the victim by striking her, biting her finger and gouging at her eyes.
“He then proceeded to strangle her, punch her and pull her hair.
“He then proceeded to smash nine windows of the victim’s house and damaged two cars.”
The attack followed an earlier incident in February, when Morris assaulted the woman and smashed some of her belongings after she asked him to leave.
Victim left ‘traumatised’
The woman suffered facial swelling, black eyes, bite wounds and ongoing knee pain as a result of the attacks, and needed hospital treatment for some of her injuries.
She is not being named, and the exact location of the assaults is not being disclosed, by the police.
Designated Investigative Officer Kathryn Edmunds said: “Darren Morris has left the victim traumatised and unrecognisable after his brutal assault on her.
“This outcome was made possible by the bravery of the victim in coming forward, as well as the efforts made by the team of specialist investigative officers.
“Judge David Chidgey recognised the high harm and culpability of these offences and the courage of the victim in reading her impact statement aloud in court, and passed a custodial sentence on Morris for his crimes.
“This sentence will protect the victim and the wider public from Morris and serve to highlight the custodial sentences handed down for violence in incidents such as this.”
Avon & Somerset police say tackling violence against women and girls is a priority and officers “will always listen to and seek to protect victims of domestic violence and to pursue offenders”.
The spokesperson added: “Intentional strangulation is an indicator of the risk of future serious harm and homicide; being strangled increases the risk of becoming a victim of homicide by several times.”