An abusive partner laughed after setting fire to his girlfriend’s leg.

Michael Lincoln, 56, poured a liquid – thought to be vodka – over the woman’s leg then used his lighter to ignite it, telling detectives he had done it as she knew how to ‘push his buttons’ - and claiming she had encouraged him to do it.

Oxford Crown Court heard that although the woman, who at the time thought she might be pregnant with Lincoln’s child, told him ‘go on then, do it’ she did not mean it.

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The flames melted her jeans to her leg and, having ripped the trousers off, she was left with a serious burn wound. A medical report said one per cent of the burn, which covered 1.5 per cent of her body, had gone through all the layers of skin to the underlying flesh.

Summarising from the victim’s statement, prosecutor Cathy Olliver said: “Mr Lincoln just found the entire thing funny and laughed the entire evening.”

The defendant had ‘never apologised’ to her, although had later told her that he loved her.

Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge Nigel Daly said: “This was a particularly nasty offence that you committed, pouring whatever it was over your then partner’s leg, setting it on fire and sitting back and laughing.

“I have had to consider whether or not this particular offence and the injuries suffered were such as to put it in the highest of the categories.

“She was obviously vulnerable and the use of this volatile and inflammable liquid and the setting of it on fire amounts to the use of a highly-dangerous weapon.”

The court heard Lincoln and his victim had known each other for some years, but had only been in a relationship for five weeks. The relationship was described as ‘toxic’.

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The couple were drinking in her flat in Alice Smith Square, Littlemore, in March when she was called by a former partner.

Jealous Lincoln was angered by the call and told her he was ‘going to burn you’. The woman suggested she would be ‘better off’ with her ex-partner and told Lincoln after hearing the burn threat: “Go on, then, do it.”

She did not seek medical help at the time and the wound became infected. It was subsequently operated on by plastic surgeons, who had to graft skin from another part of her body.

When she spoke to police several weeks after suffering the burn, she disclosed another assault when he had punched her in the face and also said Lincoln had damaged her TV by throwing a lager can at it.

Lincoln, of Donnington Bridge Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage. He had more than 140 offences on his record.

In mitigation, Gareth James said his client ‘regrets very much that he became involved in these actions’.

DC Sian Lewis of Thames Valley Police said: “Lincoln is a violent offender and I am pleased that the courts have handed down a custodial sentence as a result of his actions.

“His actions were utterly abhorrent and caused life-changing injuries to his victim, who will be scarred for life as a result.”

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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

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward