The "nasty, vile and sustained assault" took place in the city centre
A man who broke his ex-girlfriend’s jaw after kicking her in the face outside a Coventry nightclub has been jailed.
Ellis Viola, 18, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to inflicting grievous bodily harm on his victim Jade Kavanagh, but denied doing so with intent.
That was accepted by the prosecution, and Viola, of Coombe Avenue, in Binley, was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Prosecutor Graeme Simpson said that in the early hours of June 25 Viola saw Miss Kavanagh, his ex-partner, outside a club in Coventry city centre talking to a male friend.
He went over to them and grabbed hold of her, and tried to make her go with him, but she resisted.
And, when she ended up on the floor, Viola kicked her a number of times as she curled up to protect her face.
When he stopped, she managed to get up and took out her phone, but he attacked her again by knocking her down and dragging her along the ground before letting go.
And he continued to shout abuse at her as she got into a taxi and was driven away.
As a result of the attack Miss Kavanagh suffered a broken jaw, for which she had to undergo surgery to have a metal plate fitted, and a broken nose.
Mr Simpson applied for a restraining order banning Viola from contacting Miss Kavanagh, which was granted by Recorder Jacqueline Carey.
Jailing Viola, Recorder Carey said: “Your ex-partner was outside a club talking to a male friends, and you took the notion something might be going on between them.
“Whether it was or not was none of your business, but you grabbed her and tried to get her to go with you.
“Then, while she lay curled on the ground like a baby, you kicked her four to six times. It was a sustained attack with a shod foot. There is no doubt that this case passes the custody threshold.
“I have thought long and hard about this. I do consider you now have remorse, you are a young man with a loving family, and you are making good progress at college.
“On the other hand, the attack was vicious and sustained, and I do take the view this case is too serious to allow me to suspend the sentence.”
Originally from Malta and then Glasgow, the Viola family have a very long history of violence in Coventry including convictions for murder.
