A Southampton man has been jailed after hitting his partner in the head with a vacuum cleaner and crushing her fingers in a front door.

Liam O’Hara, 32, of Guernsey Close, Southampton, was jailed for two years following his conviction at Winchester Crown Court.

O’Hara assaulted the victim – a woman in her 30s - causing injuries to her fingers after he crushed them in a front door.

She was also left with a cut to the side of her head after he hit her with a vacuum cleaner. Both incidents took place between December 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021 in the Bitterne area.

O’Hara was arrested after officers were called to the Travelodge in Farnborough on June 10 this year following a report of a domestic incident.

During his arrest, he became violent and assaulted a police officer.

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Following O’Hara’s arrest, the woman told police about the previous assaults.

He was charged with two counts of assaulting a person causing actual bodily harm and assault an emergency worker by beating.

O’Hara – who was described as a “violent individual” by police – denied the offences but was convicted at a trial.

Detective Constable Luke Kedge said: “O’Hara is a violent individual whose behaviour had a huge impact on a woman he was in a relationship with. She suffers with frequent nightmares following the abuse she was subjected to.

“The victim showed great courage in supporting a prosecution and continued to work with police and CPS to ensure a violent domestic abuser is in prison.

“I am extremely grateful for the evidence she provided, and I hope seeing O’Hara put behind bars will bring her some form of closure.

“No one – whether that be a woman, a man or a child – should ever be subjected to domestic abuse within an environment that they perceive to be a safe space.

“We understand that it is not always easy to report incidents of this nature to us, especially when you have to re-live any trauma faced at the hands of an abuser, but we encourage victims to come forward and report incidents to us.

“We are absolutely clear that we do not tolerate any form of domestic abuse or violence at all. Individuals who are intending to behave in this way and commit these offences will be found and stopped.”