A MAN who kicked the mother of his child in the face and shattered her jaw has been jailed for 14 months by a judge.
James Lee Betts, 26, of Lostock Hall, near Preston, dragged his ex-partner out of her father’s home by her hair back to her own flat.
She had been at the flat with their three year old son, her father and her father’s partner.
He then kicked her in the face as she sat on her bottom step holding her pet dog, asking him to leave.
He pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.
Preston’s Sessions House heard Betts was only brought to justice a year after the attack, after an unrelated incident in March 2012 which he was quizzed over.
Prosecuting, Tom Lord said: “The allegation came about after the commission of an offence when the victim was at home and somebody committed an offence of criminal damage against her front door.
“She called the police believing the perpetrator to be the defendant and it’s when the police attended last year that it came to light.
“She had been in a relationship for five years. They have a son together.
“The pair separated in February 2011.
“The victim went to live for six months in a women’s refuge.
“It seems the build up to the assault, or the catalyst to it, was when he accused her of sleeping with his friend.”
Defending John Woodward said Betts had been “frustrated” over not being able to see his son.
He said: “On the day of this incident his frustration went far too far and he recognises that and is very, very sorry for what he did.”
The court heard how the mum had to undergo facial surgery for a fractured lower jaw in an east Lancashire hospital.
A consultant facial surgeon had to fit two metal plates and eight screws, and three of her teeth were removed, the court heard.
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