Philip Mutch, formerly of Shrewsbury but now of Capern Grove, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to five charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of controlling or coercive controlling behavior when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court at Telford Justice Centre.

Prosecutor Jonathan Dickinson said Mutch, 40, had previously been jailed for similar behavior towards another woman.

The Shrewsbury victim was subjected to shockingly violent attacks for nearly three years, including during her pregnancy, the court was told.

Mr Dickinson explained that Mutch was “routinely paranoid” and “obsessed with the idea that his partner was unfaithful”.

The court read out details of incidents in which the victim was subjected to extreme violence and degrading behavior – including repeatedly spitting in her face, forcing her to eat cigarette butts from an ashtray and stubbing cigarettes on her body.

Mr Dickinson said that on one occasion Mutch, who did not live with the woman, burst into her home at 5am shouting and looking for other men.

During the incident, Mutch threatened to throw the woman, who was pregnant at the time, down the stairs.

He also punched, kicked and strangled her.

On another occasion, Mutch went on a horrific violent rampage while drinking. During the attack, he slapped her across the face, pinned her against a wall, strangled her and bit her face.

He also kicked the woman in the spine (she already had long-standing back problems), pulled her onto the couch by her hair, and punched her squarely between the eyes.