A “controlling” domestic violence thug headbutted his partner and broke her nose after demanding “respect” from her and claiming she would “never meet anyone like me”.
Mark Woolley, 50, of Grangemoor, Runcorn, and his partner had been arguing during the weekend of October 29 and on Saturday, October 30, she asked him to leave. Jayne Morris, prosecuting at Chester Crown Court sitting at Chester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, said Woolley began to pack a bag but refused to go.
As the row continued, Woolley followed his victim downstairs while she shouted at him to leave and he told her: “You need to have respect for me. You will lose the best thing in your life. You will never meet anyone like me. You will be on your own forever.”
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Downstairs Woolley pressed his head against hers before moving it away briefly then slammed it back against her nose.
His victim was “shocked” and “there was blood everywhere”.
Police were called and arrested Woolley, who claimed “she attacked me so I retaliated”.
At hospital the victim was diagnosed as having suffered a one-millimetre fracture to her nose.
Her injured nose was treated with glue with the offer of a “deviation” being moved back into place, but this was declined.
Ms Morris said Woolley was charged over the assault on May 18 this year.
A non-molestation order (NMO) was imposed on November 11, which Woolley breached when his victim allowed him to stay at her home on June 10-12.
During this time he “became argumentative” while watching a film, and “became angry” while out shopping and he wanted to buy alcohol.
He also threw his Sunday dinner at a sink, threw her phone at a wall, and while he was "looking psychotic" said he wanted to read her messages.
In a victim impact statement, the victim said she had suffered anxiety and felt “scared” as a result of Woolley’s behaviour, adding: "The bruises fade but the emotional scars last forever”.
She said the continued “on-off” relationship had been due to how “controlling” Woolley was and how “controlled at the time she felt by the defendant”.
As well as suffering physical and psychological injury, she said she had to take three weeks off from her public-facing job and she lost £120 in pay as a result.
Woolley had 13 previous convictions for 15 offences including five for violence, and also drunk and disorderly, excess alcohol, and harassment, with his last court appearance in 2013 before a break of eight years until 2021.
Some of his convictions for violence involved ex-partners.
Woolley initially denied committing assault occasioning actual bodily harm but pleaded guilty to the offence in magistrates’ court on the day of trial, and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to the charge of breaching an NMO.
David Rose, defending, said his client had not committed any offences for eight years, had pleaded guilty, and had served 79 days on remand - equivalent to a prison sentence of about five months.
He said Woolley, who appeared by videolink from prison for the hearing, was a “man who’s always in full time employment” and works as a plasterer.
Mr Rose said there had been some “confusion” over his bail conditions when the NMO breach occurred but Woolley accepted the breach.
Judge Patrick Thompson sentenced Woolley to 10 months in prison to be served immediately for the “nasty assault” plus two months consecutive for the order breach, totalling 12 months.
He also imposed a restraining order to run for five years.
Judge Thompson said it was “obvious” that Woolley had a problem with alcohol, and had been “very heavy-handed with women in the past”.
During his sentencing remarks he told Woolley: “When you drink to excess that relationship becomes toxic and these incidents occur.
“It was a nasty assault, a cowardly assault, headbutting a woman is a cowardly act.
“It caused a nasty injury.
“There’s clearly a deviation of her nasal bones.
"I agree with the lawyers in the case that it's a category two, culpability B case, which would have a starting point of 36 weeks.
"Yours is aggravated by your previous convictions because you've been very heavy-handed with women in the past.”
The judge also criticised Cheshire Police for taking around six months to charge Woolley and said he didn't know why it took so long, describing the delay as "unforgiveable"..
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