Prison for Kettering man who left partner with black eye

A Kettering man has been handed a prison sentence after a nasty assault which left his partner with a black eye.

Grant Baxter, 25, lashed out after going out for drinks to commemorate the death of a friend who had died a year earlier.

He threw a glass at his victim and punched her in a vicious attack on September 19, which left her with significant bruising to the eye area.

Baxter, of Edward Road, has now been sentenced to 32 weeks in prison.

At a previous court hearing last month Northampton Crown Court heard Baxter's victim - who is now his ex-partner - had texted him to ask if he was coming to an address in the town.

She did not recall letting him in and has a 'limited' recollection of what happened next, but prosecutor Sarah Phelan said she remembered some of the attack.

Ms Phelan said: "He threw a glass at her...she has memory of him punching her."

The court heard the victim fell to the ground and hit her head and, in her own words, fell unconscious.

She suffered significant bruising to her eye area, the court heard.

A 999 call was made and Baxter was arrested but he gave no comment answers to all questions put to him.

He later admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm when he appeared before magistrates.

Baxter appeared over videolink from HMP Peterborough, where he has been held on remand since the incident, and will serve up to half of his sentence of 32 weeks in prison.

Recorder Graham Huston also issued a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.