A York boyfriend who bit and throttled his girlfriend in a “barbaric” attack has been jailed.

It was the second time Carl Stewart had used his teeth on the woman, said Heather Gilmore, prosecuting.

He pinned her down on the floor, hit her face, chest and eye and then bent down and bit her cheek.

When she screamed, he put both his hands round her neck and tightened his grip until she was struggling to breathe, the court heard.

Three months earlier, he had bitten her hand in a separate attack.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told Stewart: “I have seen the mark on her cheek. It is barbaric. And then you throttled her. You strangled her."

Stewart, 34, of Danesgate, Acomb, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing actual bodily harm and was jailed for 14 months.  He denied a charge of controlling or coercive behaviour which was left on file, meaning it will appear on his police record but not as a conviction.

Defence barrister Erin Kitson-Parker said Stewart was sorry for his actions. There had been no further incidents between the two leading to police being called out and Stewart had not been involved in any offences since the second attack. 

Ms Gilmore said the relationship between Stewart and the woman had initially gone well. But after about eight weeks, she had noticed a change in his behaviour when he had been drinking.

On March 17, 2022, he bit her on the hand when he became violent during an argument.

On July 23, 2022, they argued in his flat and at one point she was lying on the floor with him above her preventing her from getting up.

He bit her cheek causing it to bleed and throttled her.

She later told police the throttling lasted five to 10 seconds and she was conscious throughout.

When it ended, she managed to escape and fled the house with her dog. She had bloodshot eyes and a bite mark, said Ms Gilmore.

The relationship had continued until spring 2023. After it broke down, the woman told police about the attacks.

Ms Kitson-Parker said there was no explanation why it had taken police a year to charge Stewart after he had arrested in 2023.

“It appears he has turned over a new leaf,” she said.

He had attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and was now in a new relationship with a woman who was standing by him. He had a job as a groundworker where he had got promotion.