Violent boyfriend jailed after breaking mum-of-two's jaw

Kathleen Ingram was knocked unconscious when powerfully-built Eugene Sinclair felled her with a single punch, but the next morning the 40-year-old stopped her going to hospital despite the pain she was in.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that the punch left the complainant with significant pain to her jaw, broken teeth and bleeding heavily from her mouth.

Prosecutor Stephanie Hancock told the court that Sinclair, who had committed other acts of violence against the complainant, kept her in her home for the rest of the day, but the following day she was allowed to go to see a doctor who immediately referred her to hospital for treatment.

Miss Hancock said the complainant had suffered two fractures to her jaw and had to undergo corrective surgery including the insertion of a metal plate.

The complainant did not report the attack to the police last October, but following another violent incident in December she told officers about the earlier assault.

Sinclair, of West Bank View, Halifax, pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent when he made his first appearance before the crown court earlier this month.

Miss Hancock told Judge Colin Burn that Sinclair had previous convictions for assault and had also been jailed for robbery in 2009.

In a victim impact statement the complainant described how she felt she had let herself and her children down by not stopping the defendant sooner.

She said she still suffered numbness in her chin and had to eat liquidised food for some time after the attack.

Judge Burn said Sinclair would now be subject to indefinite restraining order which banned him from having any contact with the complainant or her children.

The cout heard that the couple’s relationship had only started in June last year and Sinclair’s barrister Jayne Beckett described it as “toxic”.

But Judge Burn said the violence in the relationship had come from Sinclair and he was by no means a slightly built individual.

“Any violence or force from you is likely to be both substantial and terrifying,” the judge told Sinclair.

Judge Burn said Sinclair faced longer and longer jail sentences if he did not address his inability to control his actions and stop himself from resorting to violence.

Sinclair would have faced a six-year jail sentence if he had been found guilty after a trial, but his guilty plea at the first opportunity meant he was entitled to a third off his sentence.