Thug told mother of his child ‘one of these days I'll murder you’
forsixyearsandafterthebirth oftheirnow16-month-oldson, the violence had increased.
He said: "There were so many incidents of violence in their relationship that she could not give an exact figure for it."
On one occasion the court heard that the woman was on her phone speaking with a male friend when the defendantsnatchedthemobileoffher andpunchedherrepeatedlyon her thigh.
As he attacked her, O'Connor asked her questions about the friend she was texting.
On another occasion O'Connor had gone into her bedroom, as the couple slept separately,and"demandedshe pullhertrousersdownbecause hewantedtohavesexwithher."
When she refused, he pushed his hands into her neck, leaving her with bruises.MrWardtoldthecourt that O'Connor had 12 convictions including for an incident inwhichhestrangledthesame woman in November 2015. He wasmadesubjectofarestraining order before she had it removed.
O'Connor's ex read her victim impact statement to the court, in which she said: “In recent months I have suffered fromprettyhorrificflashbacks which have left me shaking in fear and anxiety."
Vic Laffey, defending, said: "He accepts without reservation that this behaviour was completely unacceptable. He accepts and understands the suffering that he has caused to the victim in this case and he accepts that it should never have happened."
O'Connor, of Londonderry Tower, Hendon, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to controlling or coercive behaviour and two counts of common assault by battery at a magistrates court.
He wept in the dock as the judge, Recorder Abdul Iqbal, sentenced him to two years in prison.
Hewasalsomadesubjectof a five-year restraining order to prevent him from contacting the victim.