A man stabbed his partner in the hand then broke her nose days later, a court heard.

Jailing Benjamin Lane for 20 months at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Ian Pringle QC said he had considered a request from the 29-year-old’s barrister for the sentence to be suspended.

But he concluded: “I do not feel I can. I do not think it would be appropriate for any other punishment than an immediate prison sentence to apply in these sorts of cases.”

The court heard that Lane began a relationship with his victim last year and quickly moved in to her Banbury home.

He was said to have struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction and would, the judge said, ‘lose his temper’ on occasion.

On October 18 last year, he smashed up the woman’s television set. That led to the couple splitting up for around 10 days.

He returned to her life at the end of October. He continued to drink alcohol excessively and take cocaine.

In early February, he set about her with his fists and a knife. She was stabbed in the right hand. Judge Pringle said: “I have seen photographs of the effect of your assault upon her. She has two huge black eyes and was clearly given a repeated beating by you.”

The months of violence came to a head on February 25, when he punched her repeatedly in the face. He was angry, believing her to have been talking to her cousin about his brutish behaviour. Her nose was broken in the assault.

Lane, of Avenue Road, Merton, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and possession of cocaine.

Mitigating, Ronan McCann asked the judge to suspend any prison sentence. His client recognised that he had a problem with alcohol and drug misuse and had completed various courses while at HMP Bullingdon on remand. The barrister showed the judge a number of course certificates Lane had brought to court from prison.

The judge refused, saying only immediate custody was the only immediate sentence.

A restraining order prevents Lane from contacting his former partner for five years.

The charge Lane was convicted of - assault causing actual bodily harm - carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment. However, sentences vary widely depending on the blameworthiness of the defendant and the harm they caused.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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