A married man carried out a prolonged and brutal attack on the woman he was having an affair with during a secret weekend away together in Swansea, a court has heard.
Anthony Grzesica repeatedly punched, kicked, and butted the woman in the face in their hotel room, leaving her battered, bruised, and bleeding, and with a broken nose. The garage owner then bombarded his lover with texts and messages in an attempt to get her to withdraw her complaint to the police.
In his police interview Grzesica branded the woman - who he had been in a relationship with for around a year - a "psycho" and accused her of making up the allegations of assault.
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Swansea Crown Court heard that on November 5 last year Grzesica and a woman he was having an extra-marital affair with were in Swansea, something the defendant's wife was unaware of. Helen Randall, prosecuting, said on the evening in question the pair were in a restaurant on the city's Wind Street when an argument developed, and the pair subsequently made their separate ways back to their room in the Dragon Hotel.
The court heard that once both parties were back in the room Grzesica "pounced" on the woman and grabbed her by the neck. He then took her to the floor where he repeatedly punched, kicked, and butted her to the face while shouting "I'm going to kill you". The assault lasted for around half and hour until Grzesica briefly went to the bathroom before returning and shouting "Want another f****** go, do you!" and punching and kicking her to the face again.
The prosecutor said the woman was later able to flee the room and went down to the hotel reception desk where she asked staff to call the police. Officers were soon on the scene but 54-year-old Grzesica had already left, taking the woman's phone and bank cards with him. The defendant was arrested at the family home in Treharris the following day, and in his subsequent interview he accused his victim of being a "psycho" and of fabricating the allegations against him.
Miss Randall said that after being questioned, Grzesica was released on police bail on condition that he not contact his victim but over the following 10 days bombarded the woman with calls and texts - including 62 on one day alone - and also followed her in his car. During the contact he apologised to his victim and accepted he was at fault but said couldn't now change his story without getting in trouble, and he tried to get her to withdraw the charges. The court heard the woman did at one stage make a withdrawal statement to the police but later withdrew it.
The prosecutor said the woman suffered a broken nose, concession, and "significant bruising and swelling" to the face in the assault. In an impact statement which was read to the court the woman said she keeps getting flashback where she sees Grzesica's fists, feet, and head coming towards her face. She said the assault has left her feeling low and depressed.
Anthony Grzesica, of Millfield, Quakers Yard, Treharris, had previously pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), theft, and attempting to pervert the course of justice when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Huw Davies, for Grzesica, said the defendant's wife of 17 years was in court, was "fully aware of all maters" and remained supportive of her husband. He said his client was the proprietor of a motor repair and service garage in Treharris which employed one person, and he said Grzesica was "deeply ashamed of his conduct" and the impact it had on his wife and daughter.
Recorder David Harris told Grzesica he had carried out a prolonged assault on a woman he was having an extra-marital affair with, an assault which had included strangulation.
With a 20 per cent discount for his guilty plea to ABH the defendant was sentenced to 19 months in prison and with a one-third discount for his guilty plea to perverting the course of justice was sentenced to four months for that offence, the sentences to run consecutively making a sentence of 23 months. The defendant was also sentenced to two months in prison for theft to run concurrently. Grzesica will serve up to half the 23 months in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also ordered to pay his victim £1,000 compensation.
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