A JEALOUS man viciously attacked his partner in the kitchen of her Napton narrow boat home, screaming that he loved her as he split her head open by banging it down on a worktop and on the floor.
Gary Cooper pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to assaulting the woman causing her actual bodily harm during the attack on her boat moored at Napton Marina.
Cooper, 52, of Temple Street, Rugby, was sentenced to 14 months in prison suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work and take part in a rehabilitation activity.
Recorder Martin Reid also imposed an overnight curfew for three months and ordered Cooper to pay £2,000 compensation to his ex, who is still suffering from the effects of the attack.
Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said Cooper and the victim had been in a relationship for 12 years, and had lived together for ten on them, most recently on her house boat moored at Calcutt Marina at Napton.
They split up in May this year over previous incidents of violence, but then got back together.
“Jealousy over what happened during that period led to things blowing up on July 12, when he accused her of having an affair during the time they were apart.”
To try to calm things down, she suggested they go for a meal at the nearby pub, which they did, but left early because of tensions between them.
Back on the boat, screaming into her face, Cooper renewed his allegations, so she asked him to go, but he refused, calling her a liar when she denied the accusations.
During a vicious attack he had split her head open, and she was covered in bruises – but when he was arrested Cooper, who had no previous convictions, denied assaulting her.
In a statement, the woman said that during the attack Cooper ‘was screaming that he loved me while banging my head against the kitchen floor.’
And she added she could not continue with her sewing business because of an injury he had caused by squeezing her hand.
Colin Charvill, defending, said: “He was at a pretty low ebb at that time. He had lost his mother and had problems at work. He is horrified at what he did, and is remorseful.”
Sentencing Cooper and making him subject to a restraining order for five year, Recorder Reid told him: “You severely assaulted your partner. You were angry with her and accused her of having an affair.
“This must have been a terrifying experience for her, and it happened at her home, where she is entitled to feel safe. The photographs of her injuries paint a very sad picture.
“This incident still haunts her and has had a terrible effect on her. There has to be a sentence of imprisonment, the question is whether that has to be immediate.
“What you did that night was, frankly, terrible. But because of your lack of previous convictions and a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, I am persuaded, but only just, that the sentence can be suspended.”
