A WOMAN was beaten so badly by her partner she was left with a bleed on the brain and "looking like the Elephant Man", a court heard.

Christopher Balmer, of St Helens Road, Leigh, punched his victim repeatedly in her own home, causing her to lose conciousness and leaving her fearing for her life.

At Bolton Crown Court, Gavin Howie, prosecuting, said the couple had been attempting a reconciliation after their relationship broke down.

Mr Howie said: "On May 9 2020, she allowed the defendant into her home that evening, they had a drink and in the early hours they were sat in her bedroom chatting. She then says he accused her of seeing somebody else. She said she was going to sleep downstairs to avoid a further argument.

“The next thing she recalls is being on the floor with the defendant punching her repeatedly – she can’t say how many times. She is not sure if she lost consciousness. He appeared to walk off but some short time later, he returned and continued punching."

The woman's children were in the house and her teenage son came to her aid after Balmer had left.

The woman spent two days in hospital, where she was diagnosed as having a small bleed on the left side of her brain. She could not open her left eye for weeks and it took even longer for her sight to return.

Mr Howie read the woman's victim impact statement where she talked about fearing for her life and how her four-year-old daughter couldn't look at her mum due to the injuries.

The victim's mother described her daughter was left "with one side of her face looking like it was collapsing".

"The whole experience has caused her anxiety and stress," said Mr Howie. "She still suffers from lethargy and lack of concentration today. She said her world was turned upside down by the events that happened that night. She felt like she had gone through hell and back.”

Mr Howie added that Balmer, who pleaded guilty to a GBH charge, had 18 previous convictions, including an incident in 2017 at a caravan park in North Wales, which had resulted in a seven-year-old girl being hit by the 33-year-old when she had come to the aid of her father, who Balmer had left with a broken leg following a fight.

Paul Treble, defending, said: “He cannot believe what he has done, and he feels dreadful about what he has done. He calls it himself ‘a dreadful attack’. At no point is he blaming her. It is not her fault at all. He deeply regrets the injuries he caused and the effects it has had on the children. They have had no contact since. "

Sentencing Balmer to 32 months imprisonment, Recorder Alexandra Simmonds, said his behaviour outside the court while waiting to come into the hearing had reduced a staff member to tears.

“I have seen the photographs from her injuries, which can only be described as horrific," she added.

"The entire left side of her face is extremely swollen and bruised. Her eye is closed, and her injuries must have been extremely painful.

"Your actions that night were deliberate and gratuitous."