Pontefract thug left girlfriend with broken eye socket during violent attack

A woman suffered a fractured eye socket as she was violently attacked by her boyfriend.

Mason Ward, 29, turned on the woman twice on March 7 last year following arguments they had at her home. Prosecutor Emily Hassall told Leeds Crown Court on Friday that they had separated in September the year before, but got back together in the following January.

However, Ward became violent during an argument on the morning of March 7, prompting the woman to leave her home. Ms Hassall said: "She reported that around the time of the offence, he had been misusing drugs heavily and she was concerned about his mental health...

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"He kicked her to the floor and grabbed her around the neck. She reported to the police that he wasn't strangling her but was scratching her to her neck and squeezing her jaw and pulling her hair. It lasted about a minute and she diffused the situation by leaving the property."

Later the same day, Ward, of Clayton Avenue in Pontefract, pounced again, this time "grabbing her by the throat and throwing her on the sofa".

Ms Hassall said he then "punched her to the right-hand side of the face, bruising her eye socket." The woman was said to have called an ambulance and the police. She attended at Pinderfields Hospital where it was found she had suffered a fracture to her eye socket. Ms Hassall said the woman was suffering with blurred and double vision as a result of her injuries.

She said: "In summary, she is still suffering with the effects over a year later. She reports she wishes him to get help with his mental health as that is the issue underlying his violent behaviour. She has no desire for him to be punished even more than he has been. Since these offences, he has been dealt with for two other sets of proceedings against the same woman."

As well as the sentencing for the offence grievous bodily harm Ward fell to be punished for on Friday, this year he has already been convicted of actual bodily harm, stalking and breach of a restraining order.

The court heard the couple were found together staying at a holiday cottage in North Yorkshire in September this year. Ward had self-harmed and an ambulance was called, but as the two were together, it was a breach of the order.

Mitigating, Andrew Stranex said: "He appeared [for this offence] on 8th October the day of his trial but entered his guilty plea...This isn't a situation where the complainant is trapped with him in a situation where she has no escape from it. This was a case where there was contact...The pre-sentence report identifies the defendant clearly has issues with which he is going to have to deal with.

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"My instructions are that he is motivated to work to address these difficulties. In a custodial environment, he has applied himself and is moving towards gaining his A-levels. He has previous experience as a welder and fabricator and plans to seek employment in these fields."

His Honour Judge Phillips KC jailed Ward for 27 months. He said he had previous convictions on his record for battery and breaching restraining orders and court orders.

The judge added: "You're identified as a high risk of reoffending and further domestic abuse and a medium risk to the public and a high risk to yourself, in particular in relation to self harm."

Ward was also made the subject of a four-year restraining order.