A MAN who punched his wife in the face and banged her head against a wall during a “nasty and sustained attack”, has been jailed for four months.

Darren Grocock, 42, of Sherburn-in-Elmet, who asked the court refer to him as Darren Miller throughout proceedings, pleaded guilty to the charge at Selby Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Sandra White said at about 7.15am on April 25, the defendant had returned home from working a night shift, and an argument had started because he was hungry, and there was not much food in the house.

The court heard that Miller got angrier when his wife refused to drive him to Batley to visit his grandson, and when she decided to leave him in the kitchen to avoid further conflict, “he totally flipped, grabbed her by the back of her dressing gown, pulled her back into the kitchen and started punching her in the face”.

When Mrs Miller tried to escape, the defendant grabbed her by the hair and “banged her head against the kitchen wall three or four times”, before she broke free and ran to a neighbour’s house to phone the police.

The court heard police officers were called to the scene, where Grocock/Miller waved them down and said: “It’s me you want, for hitting my wife.”

During police interview, Grocock/Miller said there had been some build-up to the incident, and admitted he punched his wife, grabbed her hair and hit her against a wall.

Grocock/Miller, who described himself to police as a wife beater, said he only stopped because Mrs Miller had managed to escape, but did not know what would have happened if she had not got away. He said: “She would be in hospital”, because he was “out of control”.

The court also heard he had a history of problems with relationships after about three to four years, and that Mrs Miller had written a letter to the court to request no restraining order be issued to her husband, and that she wanted to reconcile their relationship.

Magistrate Ron Humphrys said “This offence was a nasty and sustained attack, and totally unprovoked.”