Kettering domestic abuser's flurry of punches left partner bloodied and bruised

A thug with more than 100 crimes on his record has been locked up after attacking his partner with a flurry of punches in the street.

Shane Berry left his victim, who he had been in a relationship with for 11 months, in hospital with blurred vision, a deviated nose and bruising to her eye.

Part of the incident was caught on CCTV and showed blood coming from her face as Berry – who was once jailed for stabbing another ex – continued to remonstrate with her.

On Wednesday (August 23) the 40-year-old, of Hodge Way in Kettering, was jailed for almost three years after admitting assault causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

Northampton Crown Court heard the brutal assault happened on January 26, about three weeks after Berry had damaged the victim’s window.

He was on bail at the time and was not allowed to contact her but they attended an address together and were walking home when the assault took place.

Prosecutor Ben Gow said Berry was angry with his victim for a number of reasons, including his bail conditions, and accused her of having an affair before snatching her phone and throwing it to the ground.

He said: "He began to punch her repeatedly to the head and face.

"That flurry of punches caused her to drop down to the floor. While she was on the floor he continued to punch her."

A nearby resident heard noise and looked outside where they saw Berry, who was intoxicated, crouched down next to a car and then kicking towards the victim.

The court heard the victim’s injuries included deviation to her nose, bruising to her eye, blurred vision, headaches and a haematoma.

Mr Gow said: "These really are very unpleasant facial injuries indeed."

He added that the victim had previously suffered two bleeds on the brain – which Berry would have known about when he launched the attack.

A victim impact statement, written three months after the incident, was read out in court and said she had struggled to sleep and was having flashbacks.

In the statement, the victim said she thought their love was ‘unbreakable’ but that she still loved him and always will.

The court heard she suffered ‘no lasting implications’ from her injuries.

Berry, who appeared at court over videolink from HMP Peterborough, has convictions for 102 previous convictions including a number for violence. They date back to 1997, where he was convicted of stabbing a female school friend, the court heard.

He also previously assaulted an ex, threw a hammer at his partner, robbed a woman and stabbed his partner.

Mitigating, Micaila Williams said Berry had undertaken work in prison to address his drug and alcohol misuse and that he was still on a journey to becoming a 'better, less criminally-involved' person.

She said it appeared that the probation service had 'washed their hands of him' and that Berry wants to move to Liverpool when he is released.

She said: "He accepts that his rehabilitation is now in his own hands."

Jailing Berry for 34 months, Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane told him: "It was prolonged and persistent and the victim was particularly vulnerable."

Berry will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.