Company boss is jailed for two years for battering his girlfriend with wooden pole after they bit off parts of each other’s EARS in row over their children
- Paul Freek, 39, battered Lisa Norris in a row at their Westhoughton, Bolton, home
- Miss Norris lost 2cm of ear cartilage in the fight after they bit each other’s ears
- The father-of-two has been jailed for two years at Bolton Crown Court today
A company boss has been jailed for two years today after beating his girlfriend in a row over their children where they bit off parts of each other’s ears.
Father-of-two Paul Freek, 39, used a wooden window pole to batter Lisa Norris after punching her repeatedly.
Miss Norris sunk her teeth into his ear and Freek bit her ear and nipple during the fight at at their home in Westhoughton, near Bolton, Greater Manchester.
Father-of-two Paul Freek, 39, (pictured) used a wooden window pole to batter Lisa Norris in a row over their children where they bit off parts of each other’s ears
Miss Norris lost 2cm of cartilage from her left ear and Freek had to have part of his right ear removed following the bust up.
Miss Norris told police: ‘I cannot wear my hair in a ponytail anymore as I am worried about what people will think about the injuries on my ear.
‘This assault has greatly impacted me and my life as I have suffered from depression and anxiety as a result and even struggle to leave the house. Initially I didn’t think I could go through the court process because of my anxiety. I have had months of sleepless nights and nightmares about how things could have gone terribly wrong.
‘I am scared to enter a new relationship, am losing trust in people and have lost confidence. By leaving the home in which I lived with the defendant I have also lost furniture and belongings and have had to start a new home.’
Freek, a £47,000 a year market manager for fuels firm Crown Oil, was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for two years at Bolton Crown Court today. He has denied any wrongdoing and said that ‘she started it’.
Freek had to have part of his right ear removed and Miss Norris lost 2cm of cartilage from her left ear following the fight at their Westhoughton home, near Bolton in Manchester
Freek, a £47,000 a year market manager for fuels firm Crown Oil, was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was jailed for two years at Bolton Crown Court today
The couple had been in a relationship ‘involving a lot of fun and socialising’ for around a year and moved in together around three months before the incident, which occurred on March 30, 2019.
The pair were drinking vodka at home before getting into a ‘tit-for-tat’ argument about their children, who they had with previous partners.
Prosecutor Phillip Hall said: ‘The violence started when he got on top of her in the bedroom and repeatedly punched her in the face to the point that she could not move and was in fear.’
Freek tried to stick part of his ear back on with blood but after realising he could not he went to hospital, taking her mobile phone with him. He claimed he had taken the phone by mistake.
He was arrested at his home on April 3, where he was found hiding under a table.
Freek has a previous assault conviction from 2015, when he twisted a woman’s arm behind her back during an argument in a pub. He claimed that she grabbed him by the testicles.
He has a previous assault conviction from 2015, when he twisted a woman’s arm behind her back during an argument in a pub, claiming she grabbed him by the testicles
In 2007, he called police after claiming a woman beat him over the head with a bottle during a bar room brawl.
Freek’s lawyer Michael Johnson said: ‘If any wake up call was needed it has been these proceedings. He has reflected upon aspects of the way he was living his life before which may have led to this disgraceful behaviour.’
Mr Johnson said Freek is now in a new relationship which is ‘quieter’ and ‘more stable’ and sees his two sons, who live with his ex-partner of 18 years, twice a week.
But sentencing judge Timothy Stead told him: ‘You maintained your innocence throughout a trial and there is nothing in a report on you to suggest you are remorseful.
‘This assault was particularly serious. You left her particularly distressed and your offending has had a great deal of impact on her life. You were previously convicted of battery against a woman in a pub – it cannot be said you learnt your lesson.’
Freek was also barred from contacting Miss Norris indefinitely under the terms of a restraining order.