Man handed seven year sentence for domestic abuse in Halifax
“He beat me like I was an animal. I’ve never felt that level of hatred and violence before."
A West Yorkshire man is starting a seven year three month prison sentence for domestic abuse - including attempted assault and stalking.
Martin Woodhouse, 39, of Moins Close in Mixenden, was sentenced last week at Bradford Crown Court.
He admitted to stalking causing fear of violence and attempted assault between December last year and January 2025.
He was also found guilty of two counts of dangerous driving and failing to stop for officers earlier this year.
Woodhouse was being sought for breaching bail and for incidents of stalking at the time.
Detective Inspector David Purcell, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Woodhouse has been responsible for a sustained attack on the victim which left her with significant facial injuries, as well as other injuries all over her body."
“It has taken her immense courage to come forward to report her then partner for this assault. What then followed was a campaign of stalking, putting the victim in fear that she would be subject to further violence at Woodhouse’s hands."
In a statement to court, the victim in the case said:
“He beat me like I was an animal. I’ve never felt that level of hatred and violence before. He hit me harder than I could ever imagine, without any care, without any remorse."
"I thought I was going to die. I honestly thought that was it. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t escape, this went on for hours.
"There was no stopping him, no calming him down, and I did try, I basically begged him to stop but he just wouldn’t. He carried on until I looked unrecognisable.
“I think that was the scariest thing of all, the complete lack of mercy. I wasn’t even fighting back.
"I just stood there, numb, like I was watching someone else take the blows. In those moments, dying felt like it would be a release.
“But it didn’t end there. Martin continued to abuse me, stalk me, he made lies up about me, he tried turning everyone against me, he rang my work and tried to get me sacked.
"The mental torture afterwards was something else. The physical wounds, they healed. But the mental scars, they’re something I don’t know how to escape from.”