Woman′s teeth wobbly after attack
A woman was left with wobbly teeth, a split lip and a bruised jaw after her former boyfriend punched her in the face.
Despite the 40-year-old man being found guilty the judge has put off passing sentence on him.
Timothy Hancock, from Devizes in Wiltshire, repeatedly punched Haley Morris outside her home and then followed her into town to prolong the assault.
However, Hancock was told by the probation service he could not do a domestic violence course so the judge adjourned sentencing at Swindon Crown Court to see what could be done.
The incident began when Hancock had gone to Ms Morris’s house on Sunday 19 July to help care for her children as she had been ill.
Reports suggest that Hancock had been asleep on the sofa and woke in a really bad mood around 8:30pm.
Ms Morris then asked Hancock to leave the house as she was going into town and they got into an argument.
Hancock then followed Ms Morris into the garden where she had gone to get away from the verbal row. He then pushed her over. She struck the wooden frame of a disused sofa, hurting her back.
Ms Morris was then punched in the face several times loosening her teeth, bruising her jaw and splitting her lip.
When she realised she was bleeding Ms Morris tried to get away and ran through the garden gate onto Snuff Street.
Hancock grabbed her and tried to drag her back to the house before the police, who had been alerted by neighbours, intervened. Hancock pleaded guilty actual bodily harm.
His defence representative, Adam Vaitilingam, said he was keen to go on a drug rehabilitation requirement and an integrated domestic abuse programme. However the probation service then told Hancock he was no longer suitable for the course.
Judge William Hart was forced adjourn sentencing for a week while the probation service came up with a suitable plan that would help Hancock. The judge added that if a solution could not be found Hancock might have to return to custody.
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