'Coward' who bit and beat girlfriend jailed

A "coward" who repeatedly bit and beat his girlfriend during a terrifying attack has been jailed.

Brandon Holding, 25, also suffocated and stamped on the woman during the half hour ordeal in May last year, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The woman, who was left with multiple injuries, said she feared she was going to be killed and had been left traumatised.

Holding, of Shafto Street in Newcastle, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for two years and four months.

Holding and the woman had known each other since school and had been in a relationship for two years, prosecutor Joe Culley said.

It was a "volatile" partnership with Holding being abusive and jealous, especially when drunk, the court heard.

He returned home from a night out in Newcastle at about 04:00 BST on 21 May and found his partner using her phone, the court was told.

Holding flew into a rage and attacked her in their bedroom, repeatedly whipping her with a dog lead before biting her on her face and body and raining down punches and stamps.

At one point he suffocated her causing her to black out, the court heard.

Mr Culley said Holding was in "full attack mode" and the woman said she was "terrified [Holding] would kill her".

After about half an hour she was able to flee barefoot into the street from where she called police.

The woman was taken to hospital and treated for multiple bite marks across her body including on her lips, two black eyes, a broken knuckle on her little finger and extensive swelling and bruising to her face, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court, the woman said she was "traumatised" and did not think she would "ever get over it".

She said she had "never felt hated so much" by somebody, especially someone who was supposed to care for her.

The woman said she felt unable to leave her house and suffered flashbacks and nightmares.

Recorder Nicholas Lumley KC said the couple had an "unhappy" history of violence fuelled by Holding's jealousy and alcohol use, adding the "poor girl" had "done nothing wrong".

"It's very difficult to see how she could quickly or even ever get over what you did to her," the judge said, adding Holding's "no comment" answers in his police interview were "cowardly".

A restraining order lasting 10 years was also made banning Holding, who has a history of convictions for violence, from contacting the woman.

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