“Nasty, vicious” Derbyshire “bully” jailed for “disgusting” assaults on partner

Ryan Smith, 30, ripped trousers and bras off his abused partner drew on her walls with make-up and even dragged her along the floor with a dog lead around her neck on one occasion.

His victim, a mother-of-one, remained silent about his abuse – which included biting her cat while demanding she had sex with him – due to fears that social services would get involved.

A judge told Smith his offending was “disgusting, vicious behaviour meant to hurt, distress and humiliate”.

Recorder Graham Huston said: “It was the behaviour of a self-centred bully who takes pleasure from assaulting and humiliating women.

"You have no business calling yourself any sort of a man – you are nothing but a nasty, vicious bully.”

Prosecutor Catherine Picardo told Derby Crown Court the relationship, initially a good one, "disintegrated” when drink and drugs were involved and Smith would assault her.

Describing the first assault on January 24 last year at Smith’s parent's home, the prosecutor said: “He was alleging she had been cheating and threw a bottle of pop at her, which split her left eye open.

"She bled on the bed – he was getting cross at her for bleeding on the bed. He went downstairs and came back with a knife, cut his own arm and said he would blame her for that.”

Sick Smith then placed a dog lead around the woman's neck and dragged her across the floor, the court heard.

He later tried to trap her head in a dustbin as she fled out of a window because all the doors to the address were locked.

However, Smith's girlfriend later took him back when he blamed the vile attack on drink and drugs.

During further assaults he held his hand over her mouth until she felt “dizzy", poured sauce over her head, burned her hand with a cigarette, threw TVs at her walls, threatened to rape her, ripped a radiator off a wall, ripped wallpaper, slashed a sofa with a knife, broke a bed then used the slats to strike her fingers, punched and kicked her and sprayed her eyes with chemicals.

The prosecutor added that selfish bully Smith would also eat all of the food in his partner's house “down to the milk", leaving nothing for her or her son.

Smith, of Station Road, Langwith Junction, admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship.

He had 20 previous convictions for 43 offences, including domestic abuse and battery, sexual assault and harassment, the court heard.

Smith's barrister Emma Coverley said her client – already in custody - had been engaging in victim awareness groups and was working with textiles.

Jailing him for two-and-a-half years with a 15-year restraining order, Recorder Huston said: “These offences are part of a history of violence by you in a domestic context.

“You constantly demeaned her and treated her like dirt.

"You took her confidence, making her feel low, worthless and ugly – you did everything you could to mentally destroy her.”