Man jailed after scarring his ex by throwing a dinner plate at her face | Preston Crown Court

A violent boyfriend who attacked his ex-partner with a dinner plate, leaving her badly scarred, has been jailed by a judge.

Gary Bates threw the crockery across the room in a rage over the break-up of their long-term relationship.

The plate smashed and caused a gash above the woman’s right eye which needed 16 stitches, Preston Crown Court was told.

Bates, from Accrington but with links to Blackpool, admitted wounding his ex-girlfriend and also assaulting a friend she was with at the time and was sent to prison for 21 months.

The court heard the 43-year-old had only been out of prison for two days following another violent offence when he turned up early morning at the terraced house in Albert Street, Oswaldtwistle where his ex was staying.

The woman told police she and her friend were just about to leave the house to go to a local shop when he got in through the front door and immediately started punching her to the head. He called her vile names and when her friend tried to intervene she too was assaulted, although did not suffer any significant injuries.

The friend escaped from the house to go for help to a neighbour and Bates picked up a plate from the table and threw it, hitting her on the forehead just above her eye.

She was taken to hospital at Blackburn with blood “pouring” from her face. She was treated and given antibiotics, but the assault left her with swelling, bruising and a “significant” scar.

Police were called and Bates was traced to an address in Brunswick Terrace, Accrington where he was arrested.

The court heard the ex-girlfriend had since declined to engage in the prosecution and had moved house. But initially she had told police she was “mortified” by the size of the scar on her face. She was self-conscious about it and felt “ugly”.

She also said her vision had deteriorated since the assault and she believed Bates had attacked her because of the break-up of their relationship. The couple had known each other for more than 10 years but had been in an “on-off” relationship since 2020.

Bates had attacked her less than 48 hours after being released from prison in licence following a six-week sentence for two offences of battery and one of criminal damage – neither of them involving this victim.

The prosecution revealed Bates had a court record which included 38 appearances for 72 offences, including ABH assault, common assault, wounding and aggravated burglary.

Bates’ defence lawyer said his client was feeling terrible for what he had done, assaulting a woman who had done a great deal to help his mother when she was ill.

“He seems to acknowledge that so many problems in his life seem to stem from drugs and the lifestyle that goes with that.” He said the relationship was now over.

Judge Philip Parry said Bates had known his victim for many years. They had been in a short-lived relationship in 2016 and it seemed to be rekindled in 2020. It was an “on-off” relationship after that.

He had been released on January 15 this year after a six-week prison sentence for battery and criminal damage and less than two days later, in the early morning of January 17, he went to her house. Doorbell footage showed him crouching down looking through the letterbox and waiting for her to come out. When she opened the door to leave the house with her friend he immediately confronted her.

“I have seen the photographs of her face covered in blood. It was a very unpleasant gash above her eye – a 3-4cms laceration. It was less than an inch away from the eye itself and needed 16 stitches to close it.

“She had indicated in her original statement that she is self-conscious of that scar. She said she was mortified by the size of that wound – and you did that to her face. (Then) You ran away.

“This is a bad case of wounding. The scar is a serious aggravating feature. You waited outside the house waiting for the moment to strike.”

Judge Parry said there was no way he could pass a suspended sentence because the assault was so serious. The only appropriate sentence was one of immediate custody.

He sentenced Bates to 21 months in prison and issued a restraining order banning him from making any contact with or going near his ex-girlfriend for a period of 10 years.