A MAN who assaulted his girlfriend just four days after he was released from prison has been jailed for a year. Ian Sutherland, 28, was released on May 10 after being locked up for breaching a non- molestation order.
He went to visit his partner on May 12 and there were no problems, Hull Crown Court heard.
But the following day, when she was at home with a friend, Sutherland "barged" his way into the property and accused her of sleeping with people "behind his back" while he was in prison.
Sutherland, who had been in an "on-off" relationship with the woman for about three years, called her a "slag" and a "slut" and then picked up a kitchen knife.
Stephen Robinson, prosecuting, said he used the knife to make a "slashing movement across his own neck", and told his partner: "I'd rather kill you than give you your coat back."
Sutherland, of Staveley Road, east Hull, hit the woman on the left side of her body, causing pain to the kidney area, and then slashed the coat up with the knife, causing £65 worth of damage.
He left the house but was arrested by police nearby a short time later.
Sutherland, who appeared in court via a video link from Hull Prison, had previous convictions for violence dating back to when he was a young man, including affray in 2000 and robbery the following year.
John Thackray, for Sutherland, said: "He has now accepted, finally, that this relationship is over, though that has not been an easy decision because in the past, when he has been released from custody, the complainant has been waiting for him.
"When he was released from Everthorpe (prison), he got a bus back to Hull and she was there waiting for him – he didn't just turn up at the house.
"Both often drink too much and then they fall out and he finds himself back before the courts.
"He accepts he needs to break that cycle and intends to do so by moving to Scarborough.
"He intends to make sure he stops drinking and finds work.
"As domestic violence cases go, there are many more serious cases than this."
Judge Michael Mettyear said: "The pre-sentence report does talk about an alternative to custody but doesn't recommend it, which is not surprising because they consider he is posing a high risk of harm to the public."
He told Sutherland: "This is just simply not acceptable and you've just got to realise if you continue to breach court orders, you will continue to serve prison sentences.
"Custody is inevitable in my view."
Sutherland was jailed for 12 months for breaching a non- molestation order and three months, to run concurrently, for common assault.
There was no separate penalty for criminal damage, but he was also made subject to a 12-month restraining order.
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