NEWCASTLE BULLY BATTERED EX WITH ROLLING PIN, BIT HER AND YANKED HAIR OUT IN 40-MINUTE ATTACK
A violent bully battered his ex with a rolling pin, bit her and pulled clumps of hair out during a vicious 40 minute attack in her home.Andrew Charleston, who had a habit of becoming abusive when fuelled by caffeine-laced alcohol, left the woman injured and living in fear following the shocking attack.
On September 19 last year, she was in her Wallsend home with her son's friend when Charleston turned up unexpectedly and came through the back door into the kitchen holding an open bottle of vodka.
Mairi Clancy, prosecuting, told the court: "He grabbed her arm with an incredibly firm grip and punched her with a closed fist.
He struck her a number of times in the face and arms." "He took hold of her hair, causing clumps to be ripped out of her scalp and fall to the floor.
He dragged her to the floor by her hair and she landed on her back with some force." Her son's friend tried to intervene and there was some violence between him and Charleston, who then turned his attention back to the woman.
She raised her arm to try to protect herself but he bit her right upper arm for around 30 seconds, causing "burning pain".
While Charleston was distracted, she tried to run away but he caught up with her and grabbed her hair from behind, dragging her back towards the property and back into the kitchen.
She grabbed a rolling pin and hit him to the back of the head with it to try to defend herself.
But he then threw her to the floor and began striking her with the rolling pin.
The attack, which lasted around 40 minutes, ended when she fled.
Police, who had been called by a neighbour, attended but didn't arrest him at that stage.
He then went back later, causing alarm to the victim, but he fell asleep and police came and arrested him.
The victim was left with swelling and significant bruising to her arms, including from the bite.
She was left living in fear and wanting to move home so he doesn't know where she is.
Charleston, 29, of Scarborough Road, Walker, Newcastle, who has 71 previous convictions, mainly for theft and dishonesty, and who had been released from prison on post licence supervision at the time, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for 18 months.
He was also given a five-year restraining order.
Judge Carolyn Scott told him the attack was "vicious" and said a probation report says he poses a high risk of serious harm to the victim and the public.
