Woman left man hospitalised with significant facial injuries then claimed it was a playfight gone wrong

Ruth Taylor called the emergency services on January 5, using a fake name, saying the victim had slipped and hit his head at his home in Sunderland.

Newcastle Crown Court heard when police and paramedics arrived the man was "covered in blood", not fully conscious and Taylor told them she would "slit his throat".

Prosecutor Freddy Adams said the victim had "significant injuries to his face" and had to be put to sleep before being transported to hospital.

Mr Adams told the court: "While walking the defendant to the police van officers noticed she was leaving bloody footprints in the snow.

"She suggested he had fallen over p***ed. There was a large quantity of blood on the floors and walls and in the kitchen sink there was a blood stained frying pan."

Mr Adams said the victim later told police he and Taylor had been drinking in his flat and she had had half a bottle of vodka during the day.

He added: "He doesn't recall anything until he then woke up in hospital and couldn't open his eyes."

The victim had multiple abrasions and laceration to his face, bruising to the inside of his cheek and both of his eyes were bruised and swollen with fluid build up that prevented him from opening them.

He had also lost 70 per cent of the outer cartilage on one of his ears.

Taylor, who has 123 previous convictions initially claimed she acted in self defence.

Mr Adams said Taylor gave a few explanations of what happened and added: "She said it was a play fight that had got out of hand. She said the complainant had jokingly taken a knife out of the kitchen drawer but she wasn't in fear.

"She said the complainant tripped on a lead on the floor, causing him to fall, at which point she stamped on his head so he couldn't get back up. After the first stamp he was unconscious. She continued to stamp on his head and face. She placed her foot on his throat to prevent him getting up again.

"She said she started to worry she had killed him and admitted calling the ambulance and giving them the name Lisa."

The court heard her criminal record includes drugs offences, breaches of court orders and violence.

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Taylor, 45, of no fixed address, admitted causing grievous bodily harm.

She also admitted battery in relation to the same victim after an attack on December 17 last year when she punched him in the face and left him with a bust lip.

Recorder Shafqat Khan sentenced her to 20 months behind bars with a restraining order to protect the victim, who had allowed her to stay with him when she asked after they met in a pub last May.

Penny Hall, defending, said Taylor, who has mental health problems and added: "She is remorseful for her actions. She cannot quite believe she hurt someone she was so close to at the time."

Miss Hall said Taylor has detoxed from drink and drugs while in custody and is determined to "break the cycle".