Man dubbed ‘violent and out of control’ after slashing girlfriend with glass shard

Lewis Wootton, 41, was due to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court on Monday (January 29) for wounding his partner Hayley Dalton with a smashed vodka bottle.

However, he instead pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months by Judge Joseph Hart, who told Wootton that due to ‘violently losing his tempter, his partner was now left with a ‘life-long, depressing reminder’.

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The court heard that on July 31 last year, the pair had visited The Leys Pharmacy in Atkyns Road, Headington at about 2pm when Wootton got into an argument with some passers-by about heroin use.

He then turned his attention on Miss Dalton and started to punch her and she fell to the ground. It is the prosecution’s case she had a vodka bottle in her pocket which smashed but the defence’s case that she threw the bottle at Wootton causing it to smash.

Judge Hart accepted the latter.

Wootton then used a shard of glass from the bottle to cause a 12cm long and 3cm deep cut in Miss Dalton’s face. Though he pleaded guilty, he still made claims in court that his girlfriend has caused the injury herself.

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Staff in the pharmacy then tried to help Miss Dalton by taking her in and closing the doors but Philips proceeded to kick and smash the door to gain entry.

It was heard he ‘caused mayhem’ inside the store, knocking items off shelves, before police were called and Philips was arrested.

He could be heard telling an officer: “She’s lucky I didn’t kill her.” He later told an officer in his cell that if they reviewed CCTV, they would see she had cut herself but he later pleaded guilty to a section 20 wounding charge.

The court heard he has 42 convictions for 89 offences. He was also charged with affray and criminal damage on this occasion.

Sentencing Philips, of Rose Hill, Oxford, Judge Hart said: “You were violent and out of control. I’ve seen a photograph of that wound – the whole length of her check.”

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Philips replied from the dock: “She did a very good job then didn’t she.”

Judge Hart concluded: “You’ve demonstrated yourself to be a man who violently loses his temper. What for you was a tantrum, for Miss Dalton will be a depressing reminder. You terrified innocent people.”

He was also made subject to a restraining order until further order.