A thug repeatedly plunged his ex-partner's head underneath water as he attacked her in the bath and told her: "You're lucky I don't kill you with my bare hands." In an earlier attack he smashed her head against the floor before attacking her Range Rover as she tried to drive off.
Nico Hodgkinson, 28, of Merthyr Tydfil, unleashed two terrifying attacks on his ex-girlfriend at her home in Ebbw Vale in May and August last year. The victim thought she was going to drown as the 14st assailant held her by the neck and forced her head under the water.
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Hodgkinson and the victim had been in a relationship but it "soured". The first attack took place on May 3 after the woman had been in contact with police regarding the defendant. He messaged her calling her a "grass" for "running to the police".
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Later that day she heard him pull up outside her home and felt "extremely anxious". She went downstairs to make sure the door was locked and packed a bag ready to leave and avoid a confrontation. She saw Hodgkinson at the door and he shouted to her to let him in but she refused.
Prosecutor William Bebb said the defendant responded: "I'll batter this door through" and began kicking the door until it broke the chain, the lock, and the frame. The victim ran to the back door to escape but he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back in before smashing her head into the floor a number of times.
She lay on the floor and pretended to be unconscious to get him to stop and tried to call 999 but the defendant took her phone and pushed her to the ground with force which caused her to hit her head again. She ran out of the house and got into her white Range Rover and Hodgkinson punched the window and broke the passenger-side wing mirror before the victim managed to drive off. She suffered swelling to the back of her head and felt dizzy and sick as a result of the assault.
The second attack took place on August 18 when Hodgkinson sent a video of himself to the victim and his sister. He was holding a pint glass of tablets which he poured into his mouth and also sipped cider. She attended his house and put her hands in his mouth to get the tablets out and made him go to the toilet to be sick before he left.
The victim was having a bath at her home at 9.30pm when she heard Hogdkinson outside her front door. The prosecution suggested that the victim believed the defendant came into the house using a spare key. He shouted at her and accused her of "making him out to be a monster". The defendant became more aggressive and accused the victim of being "a liar".
Mr Bebb said: "[Hodgkinson] jumped at the complainant when she was sat in the bath and grabbed her throat with both of his hands and pushed her under the water, pulled her back up, and pushed her back down. The defendant slipped on the bathroom floor and this annoyed the defendant who had his left fist against her cheek and his right hand gripped her by the throat out of water."
Hodgkinson pushed the victim up against the wall and she jumped out of the bath to prevent herself from drowning. The defendant grabbed her by the face and pushed backwards into the sink, causing pain in her back. She tried to shut the door but he slammed the door open, which hit her and knocked her back into a bathroom cabinet.
The defendant was punching the bathroom door and grabbed the victim by the throat again. He picked her up with both of his hands around her throat and shouted: "You're a liar and a cheat." He let her go and punched the walls in the bathroom and a television as the victim implored him to stop.
He jumped again on her and pushed her face against the wall. The victim's phone lit up and Hodgkinson questioned who she was on the phone to and said: "You're lucky I don't kill you with my bare hands." He lunged at her, pinned her on her back, and put her knees on her chest as he put pressure on her. He told her: "Look what you're doing to me. You're messing with my mental health. I's all your fault."
The victim was "ragged" back and forth by Hodgkinson who would let her go and pin her back on the bed, which happened around three times. He picked up a pack of cigarettes and threw it at her while shouting obscenities. The victim managed to text her mother and asked her to call the police and officers arrived shortly later.
Hodgkinson, of Swansea Road, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage. The court heard he had four previous convictions including an assault occasioning actual bodily harm in 2013.
Defence barrister Alex Greenwood said his client had been remanded in custody for seven months – the equivalent of a 14-month jail sentence. He described the defendant and the victim being "trapped in a toxic relationship". He said the victim had sent Hodgkinson cards while he was in prison which at first had affectionate messages in which she said she wanted to his wife but the latest said: "You s*** on me – well watch me s*** on you". In a letter to the court Hodgkinson blamed his behaviour on drink and drugs.
Judge Neil Bidder KC sentenced Hodgkinson to 14 months imprisonment. As a result of the time he has spent on remand the defendant will be released from custody immediately.
A previous version of this article reported as fact that Hodgkinson entered the victim's property using a spare key. In fact, it was suggested by the prosecutor that the victim believed he must have found a spare key. We are happy to clarify this.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse visit the Live Fear Free website or call the helpline on 0808 80 10 800.
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