A BULLY who was previously jailed for trying to gouge a woman's eye out with a teaspoon has now been sentenced to three years in prison for threatening to kill her while squeezing her throat.
David Bell, 39, made this threat to the woman, as well as slamming her head against a wall and throwing her onto the sofa, while at her home in Derby.
As well as admitting making threats to kill, Bell pleaded guilty to being in breach of a restraining order and not complying with the notification requirements of a sexual offences order. This latter offence related to an order imposed in 2009, when he was convicted of sexual activity with a child, that he must register his address with the police, which he failed to do.
Derby Crown Court heard that Bell had only been released from prison two months prior to the latest attack in December. He had been ordered not to contact the woman.
Recorder Timothy Raggatt QC said: "You have an appalling record – it stretches back to the mid-1990s. You continually commit offences for damage, for violence, you have a conviction in 2009 for an unpleasant sexual offence with a child under 16 and were placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
"You have a persistent history of domestic violence, when you assault girlfriends and partners."
He told Bell he accepted that he had not actually intended to kill the woman but "you behaved in such a violent way that you convinced her the threat was absolutely real and you terrified her".
Recorder Raggatt said that Bell,
of no fixed address, had indicated he had no intention of obeying orders imposed by the court and the only way to make him learn was to hand him a significant sentence.
James Thomas, prosecuting, said Bell had been jailed on August 11 for criminal damage and battery.
"He assaulted her (the woman) with a teaspoon – tried to gouge her eye out," said Mr Thomas.
Bell was released from prison on October 10 and sometime later was in contact with the woman after she sent a Facebook messagethis ok to include?.
Then one evening last month at her home address, Bell became violent.
Mr Thomas said this involved "pulling her hair, slamming her head into a wall and throwing her on the sofa".
He said: "During the course of the assault he said he was going to kill her. He was in drink and applied pressure with his hand to her throat. She said she couldn't breath and repeatedly begged him to let go."
She went to the police the following day to report it.
Roger Wilson, in mitigation, said: "When in drink he commits stupid and nasty offences."
