THE ATMOSPHERE in the courtroom was tense. Heavily tattooed Ricky Wilding sat impassive in the dock wearing the Taqiyah skullcap that marked him out as a convert to the Islamic faith.

Facing each other on opposite sides of the Swindon courtroom were the 22-year-old’s family and the relatives of the two women he had admitted attacking.

Recorder Richard Shepherd pursed his lips as he considered the sentence.

The silence was broken by Mr Shepherd’s matter-of-fact tone. He bridled: “It is clear that you are a bully. It is clear that you are controlling. And it is clear that you are a very violent man.”

Wilding was jailed for six years and eight months, ruled a dangerous offender and told he would serve an extended two years on licence.

It was perhaps unsurprising to those who had heard the details of the case. As a victim and perpetrator, Wilding had a long history of domestic abuse. He grew up seeing his mother being attacked and was abused himself. Leaving home at 15, he developed relationships quickly.

It was about as surprising as the sun rising every day, given Wilding's history his barrister said, that he had gone on to attack women.

By his own admission, his offences were appalling. He was a controlling boyfriend, demanding to see the phones of his girlfriend – and even an ex-girlfriend. He was jealous, pushing one partner to the ground as they argued in the car park of Greenbridge retail park. He’d breached a restraining order and was labelled a “serious risk to women” by one ex.

But his offending came to a head on July 15 this year. He joined ex-partner Maria Hopkins as she walked home with her two-year-old son and her sister. She refused to hand over her phone so he could scroll through the messages.

Reaching the house, Wilding smashed his way inside despite the efforts of Maria and her sister to lock the front door. He hurled the sister to one side, grabbed Maria’s arm and threw her against a wall. She was dragged by the hair and her head was repeatedly smashed against the TV unit. While she lay unconscious he stamped on her face, breaking her jaw and a vertebrae in her neck.

She was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. In an open letter to victims of domestic abuse, Maria wrote: “I had to have multiple operations following the attack which included having a permanent metal plate fitted to my jaw.

“I could only eat with a syringe for weeks after and my jaw will never be straight again. I force it in to place if I think about it, but when I smile in pictures my face isn’t straight anymore and I can only eat on one side.”

In some ways, the pattern of abuse was textbook. The couple’s daughter was born in 2014. The next year, Maria noticed “doting dad” Ricky’s behaviour slipped. The way he spoke to her changed; “He almost had to have a say on everything and became really jealous. I was never really allowed to go out with friends.”

After their son was born it was like a switch had been flicked: “The first time he hit me I was really shocked, I never expected that from him. Over time, I became accustomed to it, it almost became normal life to me.”

What was unusual was that it escalated so quickly from common assault to a charge of wounding with intent – one step below attempted murder.

Rob Ross, defending, said his young client was disgusted with himself and wanted to change: “Well, he can be as disgusted as he likes, but he’ll only show through time that he can do what he says he wants to do and that’s to try and ring some change in himself so in the future no one is at any risk from him.

“That would be far more difficult if you were dealing with a middle-aged man who had a long history of this type of behaviour – aggravating, aggravating, aggravating until it escalated. It isn’t possible to change those people because frankly they haven’t shown any inclination to change.”