A man strangled his ex-girlfriend while their 16-month-old baby was in the next room after forcing his way into her home.
Kyle Dawson also hit his ex with a metal pole multiple times and smeared her in Sudocrem after he forced his way into her home.
The 27-year-old, of Viaduct Street, Newton-Le-Willows, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (August 3) after admitting common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm.
Mark Stephenson, prosecuting, explained how on June 17 this year at around 1am the woman, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, heard a banging at her front door.
The couple had been in a relationship for over eight years but stopped seeing each other when she became pregnant with their child in 2018.
Throughout the relationship, he had been violent towards her and on June 14, 2018, a restraining order was put in place preventing Dawson from contacting her or going to her address.
Just days later he began banging and kicking her door in the early hours while "extremely drunk", accusing her of having another man in her home.
She told her him that there was no-one else there, but he called her a liar, saying he could see lights on in the back rooms.
Dawson barged into the home when she opened the door, conducting a search of all the rooms.
The woman fell asleep shortly after due to medication she was taking which made her drowsy, the court heard.
She had told Dawson to leave - but he refused and was still there when she woke up the next day.
He continued to accuse her of seeing someone else the next morning and carried out an horrific attack, smearing her face in Sudocrem as they argued.
Mr Stephenson said: "Using a metal pole from the wardrobe he struck her several times of the head.
"[She] attributes the swelling and bruised right eye to this action.
"When he finished with the pole he took hold of her throat."
Dawson would then squeeze and relieve the pressure on her airways a number of times, smothering her nose and mouth with his other hand meaning she struggled to breath.
The woman managed to tell him she needed to feed the baby, which he allowed her to do and after which their argument continued.
Neighbours who overheard the incident called police who attended and subsequently arrested Dawson.
Since the incident, the court heard how his ex-girlfriend suffers from anxiety and has to sleep next to her baby.
Dawson has previous convictions as far back as March 2010, including possession with intent to supply class A drugs in July 2018, for which he received three years in prison, battery in November 2016, and three counts of battery in June 2018.
Ian Whitehurst, defending, asked the judge to take account of Dawson's early guilty plea, stating that in a pre-sentence report Dawson had been remorseful.
Mr Whitehurst said: "It's sinking in that Mr Dawson not only committed further offences against his partner but jeopardised his relationship with his daughter."
The court also heard of events which had taken place in Dawson's youth, which have had an impact on him and resulted in alcohol and substance abuse, although they were not detailed in court.
Mr Whitehurst explained that before these offences, which put him in breach of his previous restraining order, Dawson had been engaging in supportive services - and hopes to do so in prison when lockdown restrictions are eased.
Judge Garrett Byrne, sentencing, said: "She had a right to feel safe in her own home and on June 11, 2020, you took that away from her by going there.
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"You physically attacked her in a prolonged assault, smearing her face with cream and hitting her with a metal pole, then grabbing her by the throat and squeezing several times."
Dawson was handed a total prison sentence of 34 months after he had previously pleaded guilty to common assault and two counts of ABH.
