A THUG launched a savage assault on his partner during a row, head-butting her, breaking her nose and pulling clumps from her hair.

And, despite being arrested by police Bernard Cowley, of Tyrrells Way, Sutton Courtenay, again attacked his victim in a brutal 10-minute long onslaught after he was released under police investigation.

The 37-year old had already admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one of perverting the course of public justice.

UPDATE: Police release mugshot of Bernard Cowley

Oxford Crown Court heard at his sentencing hearing today how Cowley and the woman had been in a relationship for about a year before the first incident of violence in May 2018.

Detailing events, prosecutor Jonathan Stone said that a row was sparked over a comment Cowley’s partner had made over a message on his mobile phone.

Moments later he exploded in anger, the court heard, and went on to knee her in the stomach before ripping her trousers off and pulling clumps out of her hair.

Cowley then head-butted her, causing a fracture to her nose which required hospital surgery, before punching her in the face.

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She then fled the house but later reconciled with her abuser, the court heard, explaining that he had apologised, telling her he loved her and promising that the violence would not happen again.

Cowley also went on to send the woman Facebook messages following the attack in which he told her to drop the ‘lies’ with police.

Oxford Mail:

In November, prosecutors went on, despite having been released under investigation by police, Cowley again attacked the woman after they had been out to the cinema and the pub.

Having got into a fight at the pub, Cowley left and took the woman back to his home and proceeded to beat her for a second time.

In this instance of violence, prosecutors said, Cowley punched and slapped her on her face, body and breasts, in an onslaught which lasted some 10 minutes.

When he tried to put his tongue in her mouth during the violence the woman bit it in a bid to stop him.

In mitigation at the sentencing hearing yesterday Cowley’s defence barrister Nawaz Khan said that his client had been ‘binge drinking’ at the time of the offences and taking Class A drugs.

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He added that Cowley was ‘ashamed’ for his actions and ‘genuinely remorseful’ and urged the court to consider a suspended sentence.

Sentencing Judge Peter Ross said there was an element of ‘humiliation’ and ‘control’ in the violence and that despite requests he could not suspend the jail term.

He said: “In my view you are an extremely dangerous offender prone to outbursts of irrational and extreme violence. You have a significant and extremely serious propensity to use extreme violence in a domestic contest, which is aggravated by the elements of humiliation.”

Cowley was jailed for a total of four years and three months - two years for each assault and three months for perverting the course of justice, all to run consecutively.