A jealous boyfriend attacked his girlfriend with a gas cannister in a horrific Christmas Day attack.
Billy Pryce, 28, turned violent in the car on Christmas Day last year after spotting his then-girlfriend using her phone. Leeds Crown Court heard on Tuesday his brother was in the backseat when he launched a vicious attack.
Prosecutor David Ward said: “They argued and he repeatedly punched her to the face…He saw her on the phone and accused her of contacting other men. He pulled over and punched her she said around ten times to the face and body then used a gas cannister at home to hit her further.”
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The court heard Pryce’s brother attempted to intervene while in the car but did not.
Just a number of days later, on January 7 this year, Pryce attacked again. This time, the court heard, it was during an argument and he punched her to the face, again the car. Mr Ward said a friend was present in the back seat.
He said: “On the last occasion they had another argument. They had been to his mum’s and started to argue with her and then started to take it out on her [the victim] and repeatedly punched her to the face and body. She had black eyes and lumps to the head and bruises to the body. This time she took pictures of her injuries.”
The court was told the couple had been together for around six months, and the woman described him as “often argumentative” and said he was jealous.
Pryce, of Hammond Square in Bradford, was interviewed and denied the offences but indicated guilty pleas to two counts of assault by beating, and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the magistrates’ court.
It was said he had previous convictions and was, at the time of the assaults, on licence for aggravated burglary, for which he was jailed for five years in 2021.
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Mitigating, Safaraz Ahad told the court the best mitigation for Pryce was his guilty pleas. He said: “He is greatly remorseful for his behaviour…Having been in custody for as long as he has been, he has had time to think. He will use his time usefully…Going into custody immediately on the report, having that was eye opening. He has been a wing cleaner and has served food and is continuing on his education.”
His Honour Judge Simon Batiste jailed Pryce for two years and told him: “Christmas for most people is a time of great happiness, but not if you’re in a relationship with you. On Christmas Day you assaulted your partner and extended an extremely violent assault…You’re a man with a considerable record and there is lots of violence on your record.”
The judge said due to Pryce being recalled on his previous sentence – due to end in 2026 – the sentence he had passed for the assaults would be effectively ineffective. He said: “I can’t pass a sentence that is going to be consecutive to what you’re serving on recall.”
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