A Bebington tattoo artist who pressed his thumbs into a woman’s eyes before biting her face has avoided jail.
Roy Bentley, 35, also strangled his partner and smashed her head into the floor during a sickening drunken attack on April 16.
The victim was forced to run from her home into the street to escape, and was left with a bite-mark to her face and heavy bruising.
Bentley, of Old Chester Road, pleaded guilty to assault at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court today.
Simon Pover, prosecuting, said: “The victim was at her home address when the defendant returned home from a night out drinking. A verbal argument ensued between them and she said he seemed drunk.
“He said to her look at you, you f****** d*******, and pinned her against the wall. She fell and he started smashing her head into the floor.
“He then attempted to strangle her, with his hand around her throat, and pushed his thumbs into her eyes.”
The victim managed to struggle free but was thrown into a shelf, and again Bentley placed his hand around her throat.
Mr Pover said: “The defendant proceeded to bite her to her face, adjacent to her left eye. A police officer later saw evidence of a bite mark on her face.”
The attack continued outside, where Bentley pulled the victim over a hedge by her hair, before she was eventually able to escape by being picked up by relatives.
Vicky Balenski, defending, said her client had no previous convictions.
She said he had been out celebrating a friend’s 50th birthday on the night of the incident, returning home around 9.45pm.
He had promised to be back by 9pm and the court heard this caused the argument.
Ms Balenski said: “Mr Bentley has just gone into partnership with a tattoo shop, at the same time as having a young baby. There were financial pressures coupled with sleep deprivation and all the other pressures that go with a new-born baby.”She said Bentley had acted “completely out of character” and was “deeply ashamed” of his actions.
The court heard Bentley had admitted the assault even after the victim had retracted her statement.
The presiding magistrate, passing sentence, said: “You were right to be ashamed of your actions, you came extremely close to an immediate custodial sentence.”However Bentley was spared jail due to his lack of previous convictions, “genuine remorse” and early guilty plea.
The bench handed down a four month jail term, suspended for 18 months, with 100 hours unpaid work, a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement and an order to complete a Building Better Relationships programme.
Bentley was also ordered to pay the victim £500 compensation, a £150 criminal court charge, £85 prosecution costs and an £80 victim surcharge.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/