Sheffield Crown Court: Thug is jailed after he beat his pregnant partner so badly she was disfigured

Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 5 how Joshua Bostwick, aged 27, of Hoyland Road, Hoyland Common, Barnsley, fractured one of his partner’s eye sockets and broke her nose after he had repeatedly punched her at their home while she was seven-months pregnant.

Louise Gallagher, prosecuting, said Bostwick had become argumentative after drinking alcohol and told his partner she had no chance of keeping their unborn child before he threw drink into her eyes and her memory of what happened next is blurred.

Ms Gallagher added the complainant recalled being at the bottom of the stairs with Bostwick above her and she recalled phoning a friend to get the police and being in the hallway with her head resting on dog food.

Judge David Dixon told Bostwick: “Even in the course of an argument, your reaction was simply appalling. It was not just horrible words, it was horrific violence.”

He added that for reasons that are difficult to understand – given there was little negative to be said about Bostwick before the assault – the defendant had subjected his partner to a series of punches weeks before she was about to give birth.

Ms Gallagher added the complainant had heard Bostwick say she had been unconscious for several minutes as he held a towel to her injured nose before police arrived and found her with a bloody nose and mouth.

The court heard the complainant had suffered a fractured eye socket and nose with swelling and bruising around her left eye and cheek.

Ms Gallagher said: “The incident left her with injuries to her face, a mark to her chin, a fractured eye socket and a fractured nose and bruises to her body and face.”

The complainant stated she has been told that eye fluid around her left eye could leak into her eye and cause it to become uneven with her right eye and she now suffers with reduced vision.

She added that her nose had been bent out of shape which left her feeling self conscious and she started carrying a panic alarm because she was scared of seeing the defendant.

Bostwick, who had bruises and grazes on his hands, claimed to police his partner had gone for him and he had pushed her away and she had struck her head on a door frame and he claimed he had punched her when she had attacked him.

But the defendant, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm after the attack on April 17, 2022.

Edward Moss, defending, said: “He is absolutely and thoroughly ashamed of what he did to his former partner. Words cannot describe how he feels in relation to that and he has difficulty to this day to understand how and what he did.”

Mr Moss added former Post Office worker Bostwick feels remorse and he is addressing his behaviour with support services.

Judge Dixon sentenced Bostwick to 27 months of custody and made him subject to a ten-year restraining order.

He told Bostwick: “The harm you caused this young lady and the permanent nature of it results in a sentence of 27 months.”