A frightened girlfriend managed to escape her violent partner as he subjected her to a brutal two hour beating – by locking herself in a rabbit hutch.
Sarah Wells, 28, only managed to flee from monster Michael McGraw by hiding in the hutch after she was battered black and blue by the jealous thug.
The 42-year-old launched his vicious assault after he accused Sarah of her phoning another man in June last year.
McGraw punched Sarah four times in the face while she lay in bed after spending the night at his house in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs.
After running downstairs sobbing Sarah was subjected to another two hours of hell – where McGraw punched, slapped and kicked his girlfriend of one year.
She finally managed to escape to a neighbours garden where she hid in a rabbit hutch and called police.
When officers arrived they found Sarah cowering in the enclosure covered in blood and badly bruised.
McGraw was arrested but while on bail he attacked Sarah again – this time breaking her jaw.
At Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday the twisted yob was jailed for over two years after he pleaded guilty to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Paul Glenn sentenced McGraw to 32 weeks for the first assault and 18 months, to run consecutively, for the second.
He said: “You remain a jealous and controlling man in the context of relationships you form.”
The court heard on the night of the assault McGraw lost his mobile phone and when he found it noticed calls had been made to a male friend and someone in Leeds.
Prosecuting Fiona Cortese said: “He accused her of calling these people. She said she was not responsible and he lost his temper.
“Before she got out of bed he punched her three or four times to her face. She cried and begged him to stop.
“Downstairs he pushed and slapped her, verbally threatened her, kicked her thigh and grabbed her arms. That behaviour went on for two hours.
“She was petrified and crying.”
McGraw marched Miss Wells to a friend’s house. But the victim saw that as her chance to escape and ran away.
Miss Cortese added: “She hid in a rabbit hutch and called the police. She stayed there until officers arrived.
“She had bruising to her face and cuts and bruising to her arms, legs and thighs.”
Then on September 10 Sarah left her home to go to the post office when she saw McGraw who was a passenger in a car.
He shouted at her to get in but when she did so out of fear she was punched several times in the face.
Sarah was left with a fracture through the bone of her left hearing canal. She also had bruising to her face, back and arms.
Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said there was a jealous and controlling side to McGraw but said he was also a caring and loving father.
He added that McGraw began a relationship with Miss Wells very shortly after his previous relationship broke down and his mum passed away.
The defendant – who has previous convictions for assaulting partners- was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order preventing him having any contact with Sarah.
