Man dug fingers into ex's eyes after stealing key

Nathan Cullen was initially charged with wounding, but admitted assault causing actual bodily harm

A man who used a stolen key to let himself into his ex-girlfriend's home and try to gouge her eyes has been jailed for two years and eight months.

Nathan Cullen, 34, had a history of abusing the woman before he attacked her in her home on 8 November last year, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The woman, who had a pre-existing eye condition, needed two surgeries to allieviate the damage done by Cullen, and experienced migraines as a consequence of the attack, the court heard.

Cullen, of Wallsend Road in North Shields, was initially charged with wounding but admitted assault causing actual bodily harm.

The couple had been in a relationship for about three years before it came to an end last autumn, prosecutor Rachel Butt said.

In October, Cullen was released on police bail after an alleged assault against the woman, on the condition he stayed away from her, the court heard.

'Bruised and bloodshot eyes'

On 8 November, she was asleep at home when Cullen used a stolen front door key to let himself in, the court heard.

Cullen grabbed his ex-partner and dragged her by the hair; he bent her fingers back and then "dug" his thumbs into her eyes.

Neigbours called the police and Cullen was arrested as he attempted to flee, the court heard.

The woman was taken to hospital amid concerns over her "bruised and bloodshot" eyes and complaints she was unable to see properly," the judge, Recorder Thomas Moran said.

'High risk of harm'

She required two surgeries, and experienced migraines as a result of the attack, the court heard.

The woman had a previous eye condition, which Cullen knew about, meaning she was "particularly vulnerable to any trauma to her eye", the judge said.

He added that in his police interview, Cullen had "lied" and "essentially blamed" his victim.

The woman said she had been left feeling "worn down and hopeless" by Cullen's abuse, and her life had been damaged in many ways, the court heard.

Cullen, who had shown no remorse for his actions and accepted "very little responsibility", had been assessed as posing a "high risk of serious harm" to the woman, the judge said.

A restraining order was issued, banning Cullen from contacting the woman for 15 years.