By james art William Owens committed the crime just one day after ending his relationship and just hours after removing her belongings from her Irvine home.
The 36-year-old was sentenced at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, October 29, after pleading guilty to a charge of assault.
The crime took place on May 30 this year at his ex-partner’s home in the Girdle Toll area of the city.
Deputy prosecutor Craig Wainwright told the court the couple had been in a relationship for about a year but it had ended the previous day.
Around 8 a.m. that morning, Owens was at his ex’s home to pick up clothes.
The court was told he appeared slightly drunk but there was no problem as he packed his belongings and left.
At around 2pm that day, Owens was seen returning to the house and entering through the back door.
Owens then approached the woman in the living room and began screaming while slurring her words before grabbing her by the neck, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her to the ground.
Owens – described as an inmate at HMP Kilmarnock – began repeatedly punching her and kicking her in the head and face.
After the tirade of blows, the woman was bleeding profusely from her nose. The court was told she called her eldest son – who was in the house at the time – for help, prompting Owens to back away.
This allowed her to break free and walk away from the property where she was met by a neighbor who started coming after hearing the disturbance.
They asked the woman what happened after seeing the blood dripping from her face – and she told them she had been attacked.
The attacker fled and his ex was taken to hospital due to bruising and swelling to her face, particularly her nose.
An X-ray showed no fractures and she was released without further treatment.
Owens was then tracked down and arrested on August 20 this year before appearing in court the following day. He has since been remanded in custody.
Defending, barrister Simon Brown said his client was “very ashamed of his actions”.
He acknowledged that Owens had a record of similar offences, although this had “reduced significantly” in recent years.
Mr Brown added that he would seek support for his alcohol consumption, which “has been a factor throughout his offending”.
“He’s trying to get his life back on track as soon as possible,” the lawyer said.
Sheriff George Jamieson sentenced Owens to 15 months in prison – which was backdated to his original arrest on August 21.