A MOTHER will have to take antibiotics for the rest of her life after her violent partner shoved her in the abdomen, causing her to suffer a ruptured spleen.
Despite her life-changing injury, Michael Betts denied causing her grievous bodily harm – until changing his plea to guilty on the day of his trial at Warwick Crown Court.
The 33 year-old, of Fallow Hill, Leamington, who also pleaded guilty to a further offence of sending a malicious communication, was jailed for a total of 19 months.
Prosecutor Andrew Baker said Betts had been in a relationship with the woman for ten years, and they lived at an address in Leamington, with their two children and her other children from a previous relationship.
The relationship was ‘somewhat troubled,’ and there was a background of domestic violence.
At the end of January 2015 the woman fainted several times and had abdominal pains, and, after pressure from her parents, was taken to hospital.
It was found her spleen, which was already enlarged, possibly as a result of an infection, which would place part of it ‘outside the ribcage protection,’ had ruptured.
She had to undergo an operation to have it removed, and had to spend three days in hospital, but was evasive when asked about possibly causes.
She returned home, and the relationship continued until October the following year when they agreed to separate, but not until after Christmas for the sake of the children.
It was only after a further alleged incident in November 2016, that she contacted the police and told them her ruptured spleen had resulted from an assault by Betts, who she said had punched her twice to the abdomen during an argument.
But Mr Baker pointed out Betts had entered his plea on the basis an argument between them in the lounge had become physical, with ‘two-way pushing,’ and the injury had been caused recklessly by him shoving her to the abdomen.
As a result of the loss of her spleen, she will have to take antibiotics twice a day for the rest of her life.
Blondel Thompson, defending, said Betts was ‘not proud of his behaviour,’ and there had been no further incidents, even when he had seen her in the street, and he had not tried to contact her.
Jailing Betts, Recorder Alastair Smith also imposed a restraining order banning him from contacting Miss Muir or her family or going to her home.
Betts will actually serve very little of his sentence in prison, because he had been subject to an electronically-monitored curfew since January last year – half of which will count towards his sentence.
