A MAN who subjected his girlfriend to 22 hours of "systematic and barbaric cruelty" must serve his full time in jail.

Judges at London's Court of Appeal heard yesterday how 56-year-old Vincent Agar had spent almost an entire day torturing his girlfriend, whom he believed was seeing other men. He had been jailed for a total of three-and-a-half years in relation to that, and another year was added for a drug offence.

Judges yesterday rejected his bid to have the total time reduced.

During the woman's ordeal the court heard how he used her as an ashtray by stubbing cigarettes out on her body; burnt her with a heated glass; struck her with a metal wrench; cut her hands with a pair of scissors; and threw a knife at her.

Doctors who examined the woman found 30 injuries on her body, the court heard.

Agar, of Parliament Road, Middlesbrough, had been sentenced to a total of three-and-a-half years at Teesside Crown Court in April last year for unlawful wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He had been given a further year for possession of crack cocaine, making a total of four-and-a-half years behind bars. He had pleaded guilty to the wounding and assault charges and had been convicted of the crack cocaine charge after a trial.

Agar's barrister had argued for a reduction because the effect of the total sentence was to make him a long-term prisoner who would not be eligible for as much remission as a short-term inmate.

But Mr Justice Aikens said the sentencing judge, who had described Agar's violence against the woman as "systematic cruelty which was nothing short of barbaric", was right to pass the sentence"