Joiner is jailed for three years for vicious attack on girlfriend

“rocky” relationship for six or seven months, had been out drinking in February, but the victim left the pub alone and took a taxi home.

Prosecutor Nicoleta Alistari said that when Ashcroft came back later he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards violently.

“The complainant is unable to remember what happened after that,” she said.

Miss Alistari said when the complainant woke up the next morning she saw that her eyes were almost closed and very bruised. The court heard there were bloodstains on the bed and living room carpet and Ashcroft told her he was sorry. “Look at your face. I can’t believe I’ve done that. I can’t even look at you,” he told the complainant. Ashcroft, formerly of Juke Street, Elland, pleaded guilty to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed for 40 months.

Miss Alistari said the complainant had lost some hair from her scalp in the attack as well as suffering wounds to her mouth and damage to her teeth.

She said the victim had a bite mark on her shoulder, and her right eye socket had been fractured.

Ashcroft’s barrister Jayne Beckett said he was devastated and ashamed about what he had done.

She said her client, now of Woodlands Mount, Halifax, had suffered mental health problems and the offence was a tragedy for everyone.

Jailing Ashcroft Judge Colin Burn noted that the defendant had also taken some cocaine that night and he said the photographs of the complainant told their own story.

“It’s quite obvious from the photographs that this must have been a vicious, drunken, sustained beating,” he told Ashcroft.

“It’s obvious that at no point was she able to resist or defend herself and obviously you carried on.”

As part of the sentence Judge Colin imposed an indefinite restraining order which bans Ashcroft from making any contact with the complainant in the future.