Sean Atkinson – Pelton, County Durham

A violent thug who stamped on the back of his former partner’s head then brutally snapped her nose back into place after breaking it has been jailed.

Sean Atkinson had already subjected the woman to one horrific attack during which he reversed a car over her, breaking her pelvis and ribs.

But he struck again after accusing her of seeing someone else – after they had split up.

Now Atkinson, 35, of Ivyway, Pelton, County Durham, is behind bars after he was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he had been in a relationship with the victim previously but they had separated before the attack.

They had remained on good terms and Atkinson had spent the night at her home on May 13 last year.

She was woken around 5.30am by him throwing her phone at her, saying: “You’re a f****** s**g, I’ve seen who you’ve been with”.

Recorder Christopher Rose said: “As she made clear, you and she were not together and she was perfectly entitled to see whoever she wished.”

Atkinson, who was “incensed”, went downstairs and started banging things around. When the woman went down and told him to keep the noise down as her son was asleep, this led to a further altercation.

After aiming more verbal abuse at her, he punched her to the side of the face, causing her to fall through a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs.

He then climbed on top of her and pinned her down face down by grabbing the back of her neck and stamped on the back of her head, causing her nose to break. She turned around and he then kneed her in the face.

Realising the significance of the injury he had caused, he snapped her nose back into place while pinning her by the throat.

Recorder Rose said: “I’ve no doubt that whole incident must have been extremely painful, frightening and distressing for her.”

The woman was left with an open wound to her nose, which was fractured and she has been left with a permanent disfigurement.

Atkinson was found guilty by a jury of causing GBH.

He was jailed for three years and given a ten year restraining order.

The court heard his previous convictions include an assault in May 2021 and in the same month he was sentenced for causing serious injury by dangerous driving against the same victim after reversing his car over her, causing fractures to her pelvis and ribs and burns to her skin.