A MAN who left his girlfriend with a broken rib which punctured her lung, in an attack which was the culmination of his controlling behaviour towards her, has been jailed.
Bullying John Finch had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm and using controlling or coercive behaviour within a relationship with the Southam woman.
The 29 year-old of Hill Meads Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, but who was living at his victim’s home in Southam at the time, was jailed for a total of two years and ten months.
Prosecutor Zaheer Afzal said the woman, who lived with her young son, had met Finch in November last year, and in January he moved into her home.
Mr Afzal said during their relationship the woman received many injuries. He would grab her if she did not pay sufficient attention to him, causing bruising, and throw her around and hit her. In one incident he grabbed her and began strangling her and pushing her against a door.”
There were also numerous times when he sent threatening text messages to her, threatening to stab her.
Finch was so self-centred he even told her he hoped the guilt of him being sent to prison would eat away at her.
Matters escalated in February, when Finch became angry after her dog had made a mess on the floor at her home, and she described him as ‘flipping out.’
He threw the TV remote control at her, then grabbed her and punched her and she fell to the floor in considerable pain.
“While she was on the floor, he put his foot on her head and pressed down, causing her to lose consciousness for a period of time.”
When the woman came round, she managed to get free and told him to leave, which he did after her son had bundled his things into a bag.
But he then returned, claiming he had left his wallet, and the terrified woman locked herself in her bedroom as he tried to force his way into the room before leaving again.
After he had gone she was taken to hospital where it was found she had suffered a fractured rib and a punctured lung, as a result of which she was kept in for a week.
The court heard Finch had previous convictions for violence, including inflicting grievous bodily harm, and at the time was subject to a community order for disclosing private photographs of an ex-partner to a friend of hers.
Simon Hands, defending, said: “The best mitigation, given his unattractive history, is his guilty plea.
“Perhaps the saddest thing is that he had a positive job and a substantial income, which he has now lost, and was out of trouble since 1999 until 2011.
Finch was jailed for two years for inflicting grievous bodily harm, with a consecutive ten-month sentence for coercive behaviour.
Recorder Anthony Potter told him: “You conducted yourself in a violent, belittling way towards her, and on the final occasion you became extremely violence, breaking her rib which punctured her lung.
“The matter is aggravated by the location of the offence, committed in her own home.”
27th Jul, 2024
