NORTH EAST BRUTE WHO STAMPED ON EX'S HEAD SNAPPED HER NOSE BACK INTO PLACE AFTER BREAKING IT
A violent thug who stamped on the back of his former partner's head then brutally snapped her nose back into place after breaking it has been jailed.Sean Atkinson had already subjected the woman to one horrific attack during which he reversed a car over her, breaking her pelvis and ribs.
But he struck again after accusing her of seeing someone else - after they had split up.
Now Atkinson, 35, of Ivyway, Pelton, County Durham, is behind bars after he was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
She was woken around 5.30am by him throwing her phone at her, saying: "You're a f****** s**g, I've seen who you've been with".
Recorder Christopher Rose said: "As she made clear, you and she were not together and she was perfectly entitled to see whoever she wished." He had been in a relationship with the victim previously but they had separated before the attack.
They had remained on good terms and Atkinson had spent the night at her home on May 13 last year.
She was woken up by him throwing her phone, and a further altercation ensued as he banged around downstairs.
When she told him to keep noise down because her son was sleeping, he became verbally abusive and punched her to the side of the face, causing her to fall through a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs.
He then climbed on top of her, pinned her face down by grabbing her neck, and stamped on the back of her head, causing her nose to break.
She turned around, and he kneeled her in the face.
She was screaming "my nose, my nose" as he snapped her nose back into place while pinning her by the throat.
The woman sustained an open wound to her nose, which was fractured, leaving her with permanent disfigurement.
In a victim impact statement, she said: "What I experienced has had a devastating impact on my life.
It's stripped me of confidence and I feel I can't trust anyone and I constantly question people's intentions.
I cared for him deeply and would have done anything for him.
I thought I was in a loving relationship but it wasn't love, it was control and manipulation.
He is not the person I thought he was.
He left me feeling broken and betrayed." Atkinson was found guilty by a jury of causing GBH.
He was jailed for three years and given a ten-year restraining order.
The court also noted his previous convictions include an assault in May 2021 and a conviction for causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the same month, after reversing his car over the same victim, causing fractures to her pelvis and ribs and burns to her skin.
Chris Morrison, defending, expressed that Atkinson wishes to show remorse and hopes she can overcome the trauma, highlighting his skills as an engineer and demand for his work after release.
He asked the court to accept his remorse and determination to improve himself, and highlighted his talent and employment prospects.
He feels guilty about the incident and the impact it has had, and asks for leniency, stating his intention to learn from this incident and be a better person.