Bradley Bell jailed for breaking girlfriend's nose in York

For six months, Bradley Neville Bell denied that he had broken the woman’s nose and given her other injuries.

Prosecution barrister Emma Handley said the 52-year-old slapped the woman so hard on June 6, she fell to the ground where he punched her numerous times.

Defence solicitor advocate Graham Parkin said while awaiting trial on remand in prison, Bell had received letters from the woman claiming her police statement against him was lies.

On the day he was due to be tried at York Crown Court she didn’t respond to a witness summons.

But Judge Simon Hickey issued a warrant for her arrest.

Three hours later, Ms Handley said the woman was in the court building and was willing to give evidence against Bell.

Bell changed his plea to guilty and was jailed for 18 months.

He had 125 previous convictions, many for violence, but none for hitting a woman, York Crown Court heard.

• Read here how Bradley Bell slashed a hero with a knife when the victim was in his own garden
• Read here how Bradley Bell threw a paving slab at another man and more about his violent past

The judge said Bell was “a big man, a powerful man” and that the woman had been frightened by his physical presence and his actions against her.

“That has caused her not to co-operate with the authorities,” he said. “She had to be arrested and brought to court, that is regrettable.”

After passing sentence on Bell, he had the woman brought from the court cells to appear before him and told her: “I appreciate that for you it has been a difficult time.”

It was only by people like her giving evidence that “people like him receive the sentence they deserve,” he said.

He then released her without punishing her for not responding to the summons and told her he had made a 10-year restraining order banning Bell from having any contact with her or, going into any street where she was living or working.

He also told her not to be afraid of telling police if Bell broke the order.

The two are no longer in a relationship.

Bell, of Wood Street, Heworth, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

Mr Parkin said Bell had changed his plea to spare the woman further “aggravation”.

On June 6 when the two quarrelled at the flat where both were then living, the woman had got a knife from the kitchen and attacked him, the court heard. He had initially acted in self defence to disarm her, but had then gone too far.

The judge said the woman had got the knife because she had been frightened of Bell.