A JEALOUS lover who terrified his girlfriend during a five-hour assault so she was too afraid to tell the police for five days afterwards has been jailed for three years.

But Durham Crown Court heard the lovestruck young woman did not want Callum Stephenson to be “made out to be the bad one”, has visited him in prison and wants to continue their relationship when he is freed.

Suspecting his partner of texting other men, Stephenson, 24, lost his temper on the evening of May 17 and started pulling her around the house by her hair, the court heard.

He started to strangle her, punched and kicked her and left her lying on the floor for 20 minutes.

Then he started hitting her with a glass, smashing it over her head, before ordering her into the bedroom, where he punched her and dragged her round the room, telling her: “It’s your fault”.

Stephenson then produced a five-inch bladed steak knife, pushed it into the woman’s chest and shoulder and struck her with it.

He also sprayed her with fake tan, saying: “So you want to look good for the boys?”, and finally cut off some of her hair.

Stephenson also confessed to biting the woman on the shoulder.

In all, the terrifying ordeal lasted five hours. The woman suffered cuts to her head, left hand, chest, shoulder and neck and bruises.

She was too afraid to tell the police until Stephenson left the house to claim benefits five days later, the court heard.

Stephenson, of Sherburn Terrace, Consett, County Durham, initially denied the offence, telling the police his girlfriend had been injured in fight at a wake, but later pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

He also admitted assaulting her on three other occasions and damaging her mobile phone.

Martin Scarborough, for Stephenson, said his client had endured a troubled upbringing and had jealousy and serious anger management issues but was aware of his difficulties and knows he needs to “sort himself out”.

“He is determined to sort these issues and live a constructive and positive life,” he added.

However, Judge Christopher Prince told Stephenson, who has a history of violence against women, he was a highly aggressive young man who engaged in violence whenever he felt a sense of anger and sentenced him to a total of three years and two months in prison.