Man jailed for bloody street attack on his partner

A “disgraceful” man who attacked his partner in the street leaving her face covered in blood was jailed for nearly two years.

Curtis Hood carried out the assault on Claire Johnson after the couple fell out while visiting Gainsborough.

Leanne Summers, prosecuting, said that there was an incident between the two of them in the beer garden of the White Horse pub in the town.

After that they went their separate ways and Ms Johnson took a taxi to a friend’s house in Middlefield Lane, Gainsborough where they had both intended to stay the night.

Miss Summers said: “The friend asked her to leave. As she was leaving she saw the defendant. The next thing she was on the floor and the defendant was punching her repeatedly in the face.”

Miss Summers said that Ms Johnson shouted for help and a number of passers-by intervened.

“The defendant was seen to be on top of the complainant pinning her to the floor and punching her.”

When two men went to assist Ms Johnson the defendant told them: “She’s my wife. I can do what I want to her.”

Lincolnshire Police were called and Hood was arrested.

Ms Johnson, who had been in a relationship with Hood for four years, was taken to hospital. She had a badly bruised face and a black eye.

Hood, 36, of Dale Road, Matlock, admitted a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm as a result of the incident on May 23, 2018.

He also admitted driving while under the influence of drugs after being stopped by police in the Chesterfield area in November 2018 and breaching a suspended jail sentence imposed for fraud.

He was jailed for a total of 20 months and banned from driving for 22 months.

Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: “What you did was totally disgraceful. The passers-by were horrified. Her face was covered in blood and there were enormous amounts of bruising around her eyes.

“This was a nasty attack. Plainly this offence is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be passed.”

Tony Stanford, in mitigation, said that Hood had no previous convictions for violence.

“He has lost his relationship with this woman. They planned to marry and they had a home together. All of that has gone. That huge hole in his life has been put there by him and his own stupid, ugly behaviour.

“He recognises that this violent outburst was wholly wrong and he needs to take steps to end that behaviour.”