'I can't believe I'm still alive': Violent Leeds man kicked partner's face in steel toe-capped boots

Simon Orouke was given a 27-month sentence at Leeds Crown Court following the horrific attack in the woman’s home in Roundhay that fractured her cheek and left her struggling to leave the house.

The pair had been in a relationship for three years and was marred by drunken violence instigated by both of them, resulting in the police being called out 40 times, prosecutor Robert Galley said.

After a night of drinking on July 3, she tried to tell him it was over, but he began arguing and became violent.

Mr Galley said he called her names and began punching her to the face and body.

He then dragged her to the floor and began stamping on her head and kicking her to the face.

When she called the police he left, but returned and continued to beat her.

Along with the broken cheekbone, she suffered a black eye and her bite was left unaligned.

In a victim impact statement paraphrased by Mr Galley, he said: “She can’t believe she is still alive.

"The fear was unexplainable. Since that night her life has not been the same again.

"She was unrecognisable when she looked in the mirror.

"She is unable to leave the house and her sister delivers the shopping once a week.”

He said she wears sunglasses when leaving the house and a mask, because she is afraid that people will look at her.

After his arrest, Orouke denied he had attacked her, and said he was wearing steel toe-capped boots and would have caused more damage if he had kicked her.

Orouke, age 41, formerly of Skelton Avenue in Osmondthorpe, eventually admitted a charge of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm.

A probation report said the couple’s relationship, although volatile, was now over.

Orouke, who had been working in a warehouse for delivery firm Hermes but was now collecting universal credit and living in a B&B in Leeds, living off savings.

Mitigating, Matthew Stewart said: “It was clearly an unpleasant incident. He is extremely remorseful and is ashamed and embarrassed.

"He has no previous convictions for violence, so what happened is out of character.”

Before jailing him, Judge Christopher Batty told Orouke: “You got two things right in this case, you pleaded guilty, and your appearance today.

"What troubles me, apart from the deeply unpleasant and serious violence you used, is that this came in a relationship where there were 40 call outs.

"The police were coming to the house that often and you didn’t think you should walk away from that situation.

"You had been drinking too much and because she did not want to be with you, you started on her.

"Your temper was so bad you came back to give her some more. It was prolonged and persistent.

"It’s unclear just how well she will heal from this and whether she will heel mentally at all.”

He gave Orouke a restraining order of indeterminate length to keep him away from the victim.