A man attacked his former partner, slamming her head on the floor and causing a smashed eye socket, then tried to blame her for his brutal attack.

Derek Holms, 33, was angry over a text message he saw on her phone, and then drunk a bottle of wine before confronting her and launching the attack, Norwich Crown Court heard,

Danielle O’Donovan, prosecuting, said during the argument, Holms had been abusive and shoved the victim so she fell to the floor. She said he then got hold of the victim’s head and slammed it into the floor about four times.

“During this time he was continuing to shout at her.”

She said the attack only stopped when he saw the amount of blood and the victim said she thought her nose was broken.

Ms O’Donovan said that afterwards he wrongly tried to blame her saying: “You have made me do this. You have made me into a monster.”

Ms O’Donovan said that the relationship was now over, but said the victim had told police she did not want to make any impact statement about the offence.

Holms, of Association Way, Norwich, admitted causing grievous bodily harm to his former partner and criminal damage to her phone, on March 19, this year.

Jailing him for two years, Judge Stephen Holt said he accepted that Holms was now full of remorse for what happened but said: “People who commit this sort of offence in a domestic setting have to expect to go to prison immediately,”

He said Holms had bashed the victim’s head on the floor at least four times and said: “She thought when you saw the amount of blood you stopped.”

He said the victim had declined to make a statement but said: “It does not take much imagination to know what effect that attack would have on her.

“In my judgement it was a sustained, repeated assault, bashing her head on the ground, which resulted in a serious injury.”

Rob Pollington, for Holms, said that he was ashamed of what he did: “He knows what he did was shameful and wrong.”

He added that Holms had been drinking when he committed the offence and said as a result of his actions he had lost everything, his relationship and his home.

“It was total loss of control by him.”

If you are experiencing domestic abuse you can get in touch with Leeway by calling 0300 561 0077.