'I feared I end up dead' - Lancaster thug jailed at Preston Crown Court for setting fire to girlfriend's face

Timothy Stirzaker also knocked out her front teeth in another sickening assault, Preston Crown Court was told.

The 38-year-old admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm on the woman during a toxic two-month relationship.

A judge heard he sprayed a deodorant aerosol in her face and lit it with a cigarette lighter, singeing her eyebrows and eyelashes.

He also poured bleach over piles of her clothes and punched her repeatedly about the face and head.

Recorder Ayesha Siddiqi told him his behaviour had been “totally unacceptable” and the offences were so serious they merited an immediate jail term.

Stirzaker pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, assault causing actual bodily harm and destroying property including a TV set and a fridge-freezer at the woman’s home.

The court was told the victim, who suffered from epilepsy, had been left traumatised by the treatment dished out by him. She said she was so frightened by his behaviour she feared she would have “ended up dead” had she not called 999.

On one occasion she suffered two seizures in her sleep due to the stress and worry.

Recorder Siddiqi heard the offences were committed over a period of weeks as the couple argued constantly. The first came on June 27 last year after the two had rowed at the woman’s house. She had told him she couldn’t cope with his erratic behaviour and this was his “last chance”.

Later that day Stirzaker began damaging her home. He picked up a TV and threw it across the room. Then he threw over a fridge freezer causing the door to break off. He grabbed her house keys and started running around the property damaging walls and a mirror with them.

She told him to stop and he became abusive towards her. When she ran out of the house into the garden to try and call the police he followed her, grabbed the keys and left.

Within 10 minutes he returned saying he wanted to pick up his belongings. But at that moment two police officers arrived after a neighbour had reported the disturbance. The woman was described as screaming and distressed and showed the officers the damage she claimed Stirzaker had done, including clothes which she alleged he had doused in bleach.

The assault causing actual bodily harm happened during an argument some weeks later when he picked up a deodorant canister and sprayed it at her face before igniting the gas using a lighter.

She told police she could feel her face burning, her eyebrows and eyelashes were singed and she said: “My god he’s melted my face.” Her injuries did not prove to be permanent.

The third and most serious offence happened shortly after that when the couple were in the house drinking. Stirzaker began to shout at her, accusing her of being unfaithful, and started throwing things at her while she was sitting on the sofa.

He smashed lights in the front room and hallway and then jumped on top of her punching her to the head and face. She tried to fight back and told police later she couldn’t remember how many times he had hit her.

He ran out of the house, she chased him outside and the couple started rowing in the street, causing another neighbour to call 999.

After police arrived she took photographs of her face which showed bruising to both eyes, cuts to her lips, bumps on her forehead, scratches to her face and the loss of two front teeth. They were found on the floor next to the sofa.

Stirzaker was arrested and denied assaulting her on both occasions. He claimed he had not used a canister to set fire to her face and claimed she didn’t have any eyebrows to burn because she drew them on every day.

He accused her of being the aggressive one and said her crack cocaine use made her violent. She had thrown objects at him and punched him about the head and body.

In a victim impact statement read out in court the woman said the relationship had been fine when it began but in time she started to feel more isolated due to Stirzaker’s behaviour.

She thought she could change him and wanted to give him time to change, but things got worse and started to affect her mental health. “I was scared what he would do to me,” she wrote. “If I hadn’t called the police I feared I would have ended up dead.”

She said she felt ashamed that it was happening to her and wouldn’t go out because she was embarrassed about her missing teeth. “It’s been a nightmare,” she said. “I look in the mirror and see a different person. I used to feel confident in my looks, but not now.

“I was constantly on edge during the relationship. I gave him too many chances. But after all he did to me I still want him to get help. He needs the proper help which I knew I couldn’t give him.

“While he has been in prison (on remand) I felt relief. I’m slowly getting better. But I don’t think he will forget – he has already threatened me.”

Barrister Paul Humphries, for Stirzaker, said his client had written a letter to the judge apologising for his behaviour and saying he had not been taking his medication for mental health issues when the incidents happened.

“He doesn’t blame her, he blames himself,” he said. “His intention is to be a better person in future and to avoid drugs and drink.” He added had no objection to the judge imposing a restraining order “because it has come to an end – he doesn’t intend to see her again”.

Recorder Siddiqi told Stirzaker, of Harcourt Road, Lancaster, that the evidence showed he had been “out of control” when he assaulted his partner. She said the woman’s home was “somewhere she should be entitled to feel safe”.

“She was stood by the side of the bed and you picked up a deodorant can and lighter, sprayed it towards her face, used the lighter and set fire to the spray. She began to scream, she could feel the heat on her face and she could smell burning.

“You don’t need me to tell you how terrifying that was for her. It is lucky it wasn’t a more serious incident.”

Of the other assault (grievous bodily harm) the judge said the woman had suffered multiple injuries to her head and face. She was covered in blood and two of her from teeth had been knocked out.

“What happened to her has affected her emotionally, physically and mentally,” she said. “She said she feels ashamed, but it is not her who should feel ashamed it’s you.

“You acknowledge how serious your actions were, you take responsibility for your actions and you say you are sorry. You recognise you need to deal with your issues.”

Stirzaker’s police record showed previous offences of violence including battery, wounding, harassment and possession of a knife in a public place. None of those convictions involved the latest victim.

“You have had numerous prison sentences and it appears you have learned nothing and you continue to behave in a way which is totally unacceptable,” said the judge.

“These (latest) offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

He was sent to prison for a total of 42 months. The judge imposed a restraining order banning him from making any contact with the victim for the next five years.