A violent thug who launched a vicious assault on a woman after dragging her into the street in her underwear has been locked up.

The prolonged attack by Richard Ryan was filmed on somebody’s mobile phone before he shared it with a friend of his victim in an attempt to ‘degrade her’, a court heard.

The 43-year-old could be seen punching and kicking his ‘whimpering’ victim before stamping on her head during the brutal assault.

Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that trouble flared when Ryan stormed around to the victim’s Hartlepool home demanding to know where is ‘poke and booster’ had gone.

She said the defendant was referring to his money and cocaine that had said had gone missing from her home before he dragged her into the street to publicly beat her in May last year.

“He pulled back his right fist and slammed it into her face,” she said. “He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her outside.

“He began beating her, he kicked her and he punched her. She tried to defend herself but he repeatedly kicked her in the face.

“She tried to make him stop but he continued to kick her head. She felt him move her head and then he stamped on it.”

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Miss Haigh said the violent assault only ended when another man intervened and dragged Ryan away from his terrified victim.

The Northern Echo: Richard Ryan. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICERichard Ryan. Picture: CLEVELAND POLICE

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “I have never had or felt pain like this in my life – I have never had a beating so vicious.

“I was absolutely terrified he was going to kill me during the assault. He was stamping on my head and trying to get me to the kerb to ‘kerb-stomp’ me and cause me serious injury.”

The woman suffered cuts and bruising to her body and face as well as two of teeth being knocked loose during the attack.

Ryan, of Wynyard Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Emma Williams, in mitigation, said her client now accepted the full impact of his behaviour after he had time to ‘reflect’ on his actions and was now embarrassed by the attack.

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Judge Christopher Smith sentenced Ryan to three years in custody for the protracted ‘nasty’ assault on the woman.

“You proceeded to engage in a vicious assault on her – kicking and punching her whilst she lay whimpering on the ground as a result of your assault.

“Part of your assault was filmed by someone using a mobile and it is clear that she was in very real fear and in very real danger,” he said.

“She was left with a fear about what you might do in the future due to the viciousness of this attack.”

The judge added: “Somehow you got the footage and then you engaged in a deliberate attempt, and a gratuitous one, to degrade your victim by sending it to someone she knew.”

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