Man beat partner then rubbed her face in cat litter and tried to make her eat it

A man has been jailed for a 'sadistic' attack on his ex-girlfriend which left her with horrific injuries all over her body and rubbed her face in cat litter, trying to make her eat it.

Jared Warlow, 29, assaulted his victim with various weapons, throttled her, tore off her clothes, bit off a piece of her ear, and forced her face into a cat litter tray in an attempt to make her eat it, Swansea Crown Court heard. But the court was told that when 29-year-old Warlow, who has a history of violence towards partners, was arrested, he claimed his victim had attacked him because he refused to sleep with her - and that he was acting in self-defence.

The woman was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where doctors discovered a series of injuries including a jaw broken on both sides, six fractured ribs, a fractured spine, multiple liver wounds, a deformed right ear with the top missing, bruises and swelling to the face, body, and arms, and a traumatic knee injury.

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The court heard that the woman now suffers from tinnitus, a deformed ear, chipped teeth, and has lost sensation in her face from the bridge of her nose down to her neck due to nerve damage which is likely to be permanent. Describing the defendant's treatment of the woman as "sadistic" and "horrific beyond words", the judge handed Warlow an extended sentence of 16 years as a dangerous offender, reports Wales Online.

Craig Jones, prosecuting, told the court that Warlow and the victim had been in a relationship for just a matter of weeks at the time of the assault, having met in the Wetherspoons pub where the woman worked. He said on June 28 this year the couple were at the woman's house where Warlow was consuming vodka to "bring himself down" from the cocaine he had earlier consumed.

When the woman made to leave the property to meet up with a group of other mothers, the defendant grabbed her and dragged her onto the floor - beginning of a prolonged assault which lasted around 45 minutes. The prosecutor said Warlock struck the woman "over and over and over again" and ripped her clothes off before jumping on her head as she lay curled up on the floor and then repeatedly kicking her to the head.

The defendant then beat the woman with a loft ladder before "swapping weapons" and hitting her with a fan and then a vacuum cleaner. At one stage Warlow opened a bedroom window and threatened to throw the woman out, telling her that given what he had already done "he may as well kill her".

The prosecutor said the defendant dragged the woman down the stairs and tried to force her - still naked - out into the street. The woman resisted being thrown out but the assault continued with the Warlow repeatedly punching and kicking his partner before getting on top of her and biting a lump out of her ear.

He then put both hands around her neck and squeezed to the point the woman felt like she was losing consciousness. The court heard Warlow then took the woman into the kitchen where he banged her head against the cupboards and poured a can of drink over her, before rubbing her face in the cat litter tray and trying to make her eat the contents.

She fled naked into the garden but was pursed by the defendant, and he told children who were playing in the neighbouring garden that the woman was running away because he had turned down her request for sex. The woman sought refuge with a neighbour, the court heard, and the police were called.

She was described by officers as being in a "largely unresponsive state" and only able to communicate by squeezing an officer's hand. By the time police arrived, Warlow had fled the scene after contacting a friend to ask for a lift, and was traced through the vehicle.

In a statement from the victim read to the court, she said the unprovoked assault had caused her "pain and humiliation beyond words" and left her "crippled with anxiety and depression". Jared Warlow, from Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent when he appeared in the dock for sentencing this week.

He has previous convictions for attempted robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, breaching a restraining order and five counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH). The court heard two of the ABHs were attacks on previous partners, while the last conviction for ABH from 2022 saw the defendant attacking a man in the street in Llanelli, repeatedly kicking him in the testicles and calling him an "English b******" before telling him to get out of Wales.

James Hartson, representing Warlow, said his client was of the view that the incident would not have happened had he not been "heavily intoxicated". The barrister said Warlow had also written a letter to the court in which he apologised for his behaviour and what he had put the complainant through, and in which he said he would regret his actions for the rest of his life.

Judge Geraint Walters said in the 24 years he had sat as a judge, he had rarely heard such disturbing details in a case that was not a murder case. He told Warlow: "There is no more you could have done to her than you did" and described the way the defendant treated the woman as "sadistic" and "horrific beyond words".

The judge said Warlow was a "violent individual" who "routinely raises his fists to women" and he said he was driven to the conclusion that an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. With a discount for his guilty plea, Warlow was made the subject of a 16-year extended sentence, comprising 12 years in custody followed by a four-year licence period. He can apply to the Parole Board to be released after serving two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence.

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit** www.aafda.org.uk**.