“Jealous” Gosport woman beater who broke partner's tooth and rolled her off bed is jailed

Gosport thug Kevin Toastivine, 41, exercised forced control over his girlfriend of three years by subjecting her to punishing beatings that left the woman with a bloody nose, broken tooth and living in fear.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Toastivine’s “toxic” relationship led him to grab the victim’s face and nose on one occasion after an argument on October 22. It left the female suffering a nosebleed at their Lee-on-the-Solent address.

Five days later, Toastivine again turned to violence to exert control after another row. “The defendant grabbed (the complainant’s) arm and hands and twisted them, causing pain and swelling. Then, in the bedroom, he punched (the victim) in the face and pushed her off the bed causing her to land on her elbow,” prosecutor Hannah Douglas said.

Three months later in January the pair “reconnected” with commercial heating engineer Toastivine invited to the woman’s address, before his menacing side reared itself once more when he became irritated at being snubbed in the bedroom. “He poked and prodded (the woman) to get her attention but she ignored him. He pushed her off the bed and punched her three times in the head and broke her tooth,” Ms Douglas said. The female needed an emergency dental appointment.

The woman, in a statement read out to court, said: “I felt scared and stupid. I was worried about what he was capable of.”

Jason Halsey, defending, said the relationship was “toxic” with alcohol a “poisoning factor”. He admitted the defendant was “jealous” but said he took responsibility for his actions.

The lawyer pointed out how probation, despite saying Toastivine posed a risk to future partners, did not recommend immediate prison. “Jail won’t tackle his problems. He will lose his job and house and come out in a worse state than when he went in,” Mr Halsey said.

But judge, Recorder James Newton-Price KC, took a different view. Toastivine was jailed for 12 months and given a restraining order for the same period.

The defendant, who has 31 previous offences to his name including for robbery and assaulting an emergency worker, admitted two charges of assault by beating and a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.