A brute who forced a shower hose into the mouth of his partner while the water was running and bit her on the nose has been jailed for over four years for a catalogue of shocking violence.
Liam Bottomley, 34, from Nawton near Helmsley, flew into a drink-fuelled rage at the victim’s home in Filey after she told him not to speak to her so “disrespectfully”.
Enraged, Bottomley grabbed her by the neck and pushed her back onto a bed, York Crown Court heard.
The named victim hit her head on the headboard as Bottomley squeezed her arms with enough force to cause bruising.
Prosecutor Rachel Kelly said that as the victim tried to free herself, Bottomley restrained her and bit her on the finger which turned purple and caused bruising.
A concerned neighbour heard the commotion and called police. By the time officers arrived, Bottomley had made the woman promise not to tell them what had happened, and she complied.
Five days later, he struck her on the chin, before pushing her onto a sofa.
“She left the property and told him he had an hour to pack up his things and leave the property, but she later returned and he was still there,” said Ms Kelly.
“She told him she would call police and got in the bath. He came into the bathroom, grabbed her and pushed her under the water, and pushed the shower head into her mouth while the water was still running. She was unable to breathe and terrified for her life.”
The victim tried to call police, but Bottomley seized her phone, grabbed her by the arms and bit her nose. He then left the house but returned later that day, when the victim dialled 999.
He left the property when police were called and was subsequently arrested. He was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional strangulation and assault by beating.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to the offences and appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in custody following his arrest in April.
Ms Kelly said that Bottomley, lately of Highfield Lane, Nawton, had two previous convictions for five offences including sexual assault, stalking and failing to comply with notification requirements as a registered sex offender.
The sexual assault and stalking offences occurred in February last year before he met his now ex-partner in the Scarborough area and resulted in a nine-month suspended prison sentence. He also had a police caution to his name for battery.
Hoped to return to York
In a statement read out by the prosecution, the victim of the attacks in Filey spoke of the “profound impact on all aspects of my life” that Bottomley’s violent behaviour had had upon her during their short-lived relationship.
“Before meeting him I moved to Filey for a fresh start (but) he deceived me from the start about his nature and criminal past,” she added.
“He saw my vulnerability and kindness and took advantage of this for his own gain.”
She said that Bottomley, a father-of-one and steel erector by trade, was manipulative and “incredibly violent”. The attack with the shower hose meant that it was painful just to eat and brush her teeth.
She said the bite to her fingertip left her finger “black for months”. The violence meted out by Bottomley had “left me with a traumatic reality” and “set me back in my career and health plans”.
“It’s made me more aware of my isolation and depression,” she added.
She now struggled to sleep and couldn’t bear to live in her home anymore because of what Bottomley did.
The victim, who she was now staying with a friend, said that Bottomley had “proven once again that he is a danger to women”.
Defence barrister Nick Peacock said Bottomley’s relationship with the victim, which lasted only a few months, had its “ups and downs because of drink”.
He said that when Bottomley was eventually released from prison, he hoped to return to York to rejoin family and had no intention of going back to Scarborough.
Judge Simon Hickey said Bottomley’s egregious behaviour had had a “substantial effect” on the victim who “probably thought she was going to choke” during the horrendous attack with the shower head.
Bottomley was jailed for four years and four months and made subject to a 15-year restraining order for the protection of the victim.