A domestic abuser stamped on his partner's head and threatened to "chop her up" during a brief, but violent relationship.
Michael Jobes became "paranoid" and "controlling" during the six-month relationship after believing his then-partner was cheating on him. The 34-year-old demanded to know who she was messaging before he launched a brutal attack that left her battered and bleeding.
Jobes appeared at Durham Crown Court, via link from HMP Durham, on Wednesday to be sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, harassment, and criminal damage. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.
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Philip Morley, prosecuting, said Jobes had been in a six-month relationship with the woman, and there were no problems in the first four months. However, after that, Jobes' "behaviour changed" and he became paranoid and would demand she tell him who she was messaging. He said: "Things came to a head on November 20 when she was receiving Snapchat messages from work colleagues. The defendant became angry and he told her to tell them she had a boyfriend."
Mr Morley said Jobes then turned violent. He said: "He threw a wine bottle off the wall and threw her mobile phone against the wall. He slapped her and continued to be angry before he pulled her by the hair from the couch."
Despite the attack, the couple remained in a relationship, but on December 16, Jobes once again became violent after they had been out shopping. It was then he made a chilling comment. Mr Morley said: "He said 'God help you, you know what's coming'. When they got home he subjected her to a sustained assault."
The court was told that Jobes began by slapping her, then dragged her into the dining room by her hair. Mr Morley said: "He stamped on her head three to four times, and she said her nose and mouth were bleeding." Jobes then struck her to the head while holding an iPad before dragging her across the floor by her hair again and "demanding to see her messages".
Jobes then straddled her and "started to squeeze her neck" while she begged him to stop. He then pulled out a bottle of vodka and told her she had "one chance" and that she had "three seconds to drink the vodka". As the woman began drinking, he went and got a knife. Mr Morley said: "He then got a knife and made threats that he would chop her up and that she was going to die. He then started crying and apologised."
The court heard that the morning after the attack, the woman was leaving for work, but Jobes became angry that she didn't kiss him goodbye so he threw a mug off a wall. The woman reported him to the police that day and he was arrested.
In a victim statement, the woman said Jobes' abuse has left her battling with constant nightmares and sleepless nights. She's also had to move out of her home.
Helen Towers, defending, said Jobes wanted to highlight the difficulty of current prison conditions due to the Covid pandemic, and said he was now trusted to work as a cleaner whilst inside. She also asked for credit for his guilty pleas.
Sentencing Jobes, of Windsor Place, Shotton Colliery, Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said he became "more and more paranoid and controlling" as the relationship progressed. Jobes was jailed for 22 months and a lifetime restraining order was also imposed.
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