A father-of-four left his ex partner with stitches and with clumps of hair missing after he attacked her in front of their four young children in a shocking attack.
George Clayton left the children screaming after he launched into an attack on Donna Burgess, who was making tea for their young family aged between three and 13.
The 43-year-old, who has attacked Ms Burgess before, had became angry and irrationally jealous after the she asked him to leave her Fairfield home.
He accused her of expecting a man to arrive before attacking her in front of children, the court heard.
Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, said Clayton, of Robarts Road, Walton, struck Ms Burgess across the face and grabbed her by the hair, causing her to fall to the floor.
He said: "She asked him again to leave and threatened to call the police and he replied, ‘You are going to have to call the police to get me out of here’ and then assaulted her by grabbing her by the hair again.
“This time he was pulling her towards the kitchen causing clumps of hair to fall out. One of the younger children was screaming and ran upstairs.”
Ms Burgess asked her ten-year-old to call the police to scare him to leave but he was undeterred.
Mr Treadwell said: ”He then punched her to the face on two occasions causing a cut to each eyebrow and blood squirted from the wounds.
“On seeing this he became somewhat concerned and ran out of the house and she called 999."
An officer arrived and and found her distressed, with obvious injuries and it became apparent that the children, who range in age from three to 13, were aware of what had taken place.
Mr Treadwell told Liverpool Crown Court the couple had been in a 17-year relationship but they separated two years before this incident which occurred on July 26 last year.
Their children lived with Ms Burgess but she had a good relationship with him and he used to regularly visit the children.
In the days preceding the offence he had been telling her about the good progress he was making in his personal life, but she made it plain that did not mean they could be reconciled.
On July 26 he arrived with two cans of lager and she asked him not to drink in the house. He refused her offer of lemonade and said he was only “sipping” from the cans.
He asked her if she was going out or expecting a male visitor and his comments took her by surprise.
Mr Treadwell said Clayton became irritated when she took a telephone call from her mum and a friend and she realised his mood was worsening. He called her back into the kitchen and it was after she asked him to leave the violence began.
Clayton was located by police after the incident and arrested. He made no comment in interview.
Mr Treadwell said the victim had to have five stitches inserted in one eyebrow and three stitches in the other one and the scars are still visible.
Clayton had been due to face trial on Thursday, but changed his plea to guilty to unlawful wounding.
He was jailed for 16 months and Judge Brian Cummings, QC, imposed a two year restraining order to keep away from Ms Burgess.
Sentencing, he said: “This was domestic violence and it occurred in a home in the presence of children."
Clayton has 11 previous convictions including common assault on the same victim in 2014 for which he was jailed for three months. He received a suspended jail term in 2017 for producing Class B drugs.
Desmond Lennon, defending, said that Clayton realised the seriousness of the offence but he had saved the victim the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
He has had a drink problem for two or three years but had been living in an abstinence house to help his problem and had been mentoring others.
Mr Lennon said: "He became jealous, for some irrational reason as far as she is concerned, and that appears to have festered and regrettably resulted in violence upon her. He is sorry."
