Man tried to blind his ex with glass so ‘she couldn’t look at other men’ in brutal attack

A sadistic man tried to blind his ex-girlfriend with shards of glass so ‘she couldn’t look at other men’.

Aston Greenwood subjected the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to a horrific prolonged assault at her home.

Greenwood, 33, has been jailed for 15 years after appearing at Manchester Crown Court. 

His evil attack had come after five years of horror for his victim.

During their on-off relationship, Greenwood had become paranoid that she was cheating on him – when in reality he was the adulterer. 

Described as a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’-like figure, he would suddenly erupt into fits of rage, ban her from using social media and criticise her choice of outfits.

The woman told the court she had lost count of the number of black eyes she had suffered at the hands of Greenwood.

She felt unable to go to the police as her abuser had made vows to kill her if she sought help.

She had become ‘so ground down’ that she just ‘put up with it’.

On the night of his arrest, Greenwood woke the woman up by hammering on the front door shortly after 1.30am.

Sinister texts sent throughout the previous week had included: ‘The second I find out you are with someone you are dead… it will end with you in a body bag.’

The woman managed to reach her phone and call 999 as Greenwood smashed his way through a kitchen window.

Picking up whatever he could find – such as a guitar and lamp – he then launched a scathing attack.

The 33-year-old used the lamp’s broken shards of glass to attack her face, as he ‘tried to blind her’ so she couldn’t look at other men.

He then viciously stabbed her in the leg with a screwdriver before ‘ripping off’ her underwear and punching her in the genitals.

Thankfully, police then arrived and subdued the raging Greenwood.

Appearing at court Greenwood, of Lancaster Street in Oldham, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, controlling or coercive behaviour, two counts of assault, and making threats to kill.

He was jailed for 15 years and will remain on licence for five years once he is released.

Paul Hodgkinson, mitigating, said Greenwood had shown genuine remorse and recognised he needed to change.

While Greenwood was sent to prison, his victim’s life will never be the same.

She had suffered severe injuries to her face, including a fractured eye socket, as well as the emotional and mental impact of her assailant’s abuse.

She now has CCTV installed outside her house and is terrified of when Aston will be released and what he will do when that day comes.

She told the court: ‘I now have poor self-confidence regarding my appearance due to the scarring from the assault.

‘I have no confidence and I am struggling to try and get back to some form of normality in my life.’

In court, Judge Hilary Manley told Greenwood: ‘You perpetrated a sadistic, viciously brutal and terrifying attack on your ex-partner.

‘Your rage was all consuming and potentially deadly. It is one of the worst examples of controlling and coercive behaviour I have come across.’

Greenwood must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.

An indefinite restraining order was also passed by the court.

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