A woman was in agony after her drunken partner poured a kettle of boiling water over her.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Anthony Byrne, 55, was in a relationship with his victim for three years at the time of the offence on March 8 this year. On the night of the attack his victim asked Byrne for the key to her house back due to his drinking.
He threw the key at her, she picked it up and went into the kitchen, but he followed and pushed her. He then picked up the kettle, which he knew had boiling water inside because she had told him so, and poured it on her, said Paul Blasbery, prosecuting.
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Fortunately she turned her face and the water went on her back, left side of her neck and head. Byrne then threw the empty kettle at her head.
She went upstairs to pour cold water on her burns and asked him to leave which he did. He returned two hours later asking for his clothes and inhaler and showed no concern for what he did.
The court was told he could not remember what happened. Mr Blasbery said his victim did not need surgery and the scar has started to fade.
In an impact statement she told how the pain had been “unbearable” and she still feels pains in her back. She is taking medication for anxiety triggered by the attack and no longer wants to go out alone and is afraid he will come back into her life when released.
The judge, Recorder Michael Blakey, told Byrne, who appeared via video link from prison, that after he poured the boiling water on her “she was clearly in agony because of what you had done. She struggled to take her shirt off for it was burning. You then threw the kettle at her."
Recorder Blakey said that as a result she suffered a scald burn and he said he had seen photographs showing “a substantial blister” on her back. He has previous convictions including harassing previous partners and the judge said that showed “a history of domestic abuse but nothing like this matter.”
Byrne, formerly of Alpine Street, Newton-le-Willows, who had pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, was jailed for four years.
The judge imposed an indefinite restraining order on Byrne to keep away from the victim and Alpine Street.
Miss McNeill said: "That is no excuse but an explanation. Alcohol generally appears to be the root of much of this man’s offending and it has become an increasingly worrying feature of his life.
"He is particularly ashamed that his ex-partner suffered as a result of his drinking when she was the one person trying to support him in his efforts to reduce his drinking."
She added that Byrne, a father-of-two, accepted he had acted “in an appalling way" and it was a "very frightening incident" and in many ways he was "very fortunate that the consequences of his actions had not been more significant".
She added: "He has shown some insight into his behaviour and contrition."
