A York man has been jailed for nearly two years after punching his ex-partner so hard it broke her jaw, separated her teeth and left her with a facial deformity.
Kenneth Tony Shepherd, 36, punched the woman four times to the face in a vicious, drink-fuelled attack which left the victim with what are feared to be permanent injuries despite a series of operations to her jaw, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Rob Galley said that Shepherd and the victim had split up in 2023 following an ill-fated, eight-year relationship, but they stayed in contact for the sake of their family.
On 5 May last year, Shepherd met the victim in a pub, but she then returned to her home in York while he stayed out.
At about 1am, Shepherd went to her home and let himself in. He immediately turned aggressive and accused her of seeing someone else.
First, he punched her to the jaw. He then pushed her from the kitchen towards the living room and punched her to the head with such force that she fell on the sofa.
The victim got up, but Shepherd punched her again in the face, then grabbed her and threw her to the floor where she banged her head.
She got back up, but Shepherd punched her again, causing her mouth to bleed. As he attacked her, Shepherd “goaded her about calling the police”.
The four blows had caused a serious fracture to the woman’s jaw and separated her teeth. She suffered nerve damage to her jaw and was left with a facial deformity due to fragmenting and displacement of the jawbone.
She spent three days in hospital and had surgery to insert plates and screws into her jaw. After being discharged, she was put on a soft-food diet for up to eight weeks.
She then developed an infection in her gums which led to further surgical intervention on multiple occasions. Health professionals told her she would need to wear a brace to keep her teeth in place.
The court heard she may yet need further surgery to lock the jaw bones due to poor healing.
She had suffered with “chronic” pain and limited functioning of the jaw. Her facial injuries had even affected her smile and changed her facial appearance. She still had no feeling in her teeth and gums.
She had flashbacks and was unable to work or eat solid foot for two months following the attack. It was feared that her injuries could be permanent.
Shepherd, of Hamilton Drive, Holgate, was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm and admitted the offence. He appeared for sentence yesterday (Friday).
In a statement read out by the prosecution, the victim said had “struggled to trust anybody” since the attack which had “changed her physical health and her mental health”.
She now didn’t like looking in mirrors because her “face had changed” and her teeth “appear to have moved position”.
Binge drinking problem
Shepherd had a track record for violence, his rap sheet including common assault and threatening behaviour. His record, dating back to 2005, also included cautions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Defence barrister Rhianydd Clement said that Shepherd, who was a volunteer at a local rugby club, had a binge-drinking problem.
She said there was another side to Shepherd and character references attested to his being an otherwise “extremely” good person with an “incredible” work ethic when not in drink.
Shepherd, a father-of-three, had stopped working since the offences and was now living with his parents.
Jailing Shepherd for 22 months, Recorder Mark McKone KC said the offence was “too serious” for anything other than an immediate prison sentence.
He added: “This was serious domestic violence causing a long-term injury which will continue to affect the complainant. The public expect that men that cause serious injury to women go to prison.”
Shepherd was told he would serve half of the sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting the victim and going to her home.