Drunken wife-beater jailed

A STEEL fixer knocked out one of his wife's front teeth after an argument over housework, a court heard.

Colin Savil, 47, of Bastable Avenue, Barking, was serving a suspended sentence for attacking wife Janet when he said she had "disrespected him" in front of his eldest daughter.

The second beating was so fierce doctors initially suspected Mrs Savil had a fractured eye socket.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Savil pushed his wife against a door frame and punched her several times in the head. She was later found by her daughter in the bloodstained kitchen.

Savil was sentenced to 15 months in prison and told to stop drinking.

Leslie Chinwaze, prosecuting, said the couple had planned to have a barbecue with daughter Jodie and her family on June 14.

Jodie had brought along her son but Savil became angry his wife was still doing housework.

He then left with his daughter for drinks at the Short Blue pub on the Thames View Estate, Barking. It was when he returned at 3.30pm that the attack took place.

Savil then went to Jodie's home. He told her to "see her mum" and borrowed a T-shirt and �100 from her boyfriend.

One of the victim's incisors had been knocked out while the other was loose. There was bruising to the back of her head and face and doctors suspected a fractured eye socket.

At 10.30pm Savil handed himself over to police but initially claimed he was acting in self-defence.

John Donnelly, defending, said drinking had been the hallmark of all his previous convictions and the assaults on his wife.

Judge Christopher Sallon sentenced Savil to 12 months for the assault. He imposed a further three- month sentence for Savil's breach of a suspended sentence imposed in February last year for resisting arrest and previously battering his wife.

He had admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.