A Trowbridge dad who tried to bite his opponent's face told the man to “sleep with one eye open”.

Jailing him for 16 months, Judge Peter Crabtree described the attack that landed 31-year-old Daniel Miles in court as brutal – saying only immediate custody was appropriate.

Prosecutor Lucy Taylor told Swindon Crown Court Miles knew his victim. A week before the attack he had borrowed a motorcycle helmet from the man.

On June 7 at around 1.30pm the victim was in his bedroom on Frome Road, Trowbridge, when he saw Miles walking up to his house. He let himself in and, when the man came into the hall, pushed him back into his bedroom and smacked him in the face six or seven times.

The victim was lifted up and his body banged back onto the ground. Miles tried to stamp on the man’s face while he lay on the floor.

'You're going to die'

Ms Taylor said: “There was some shouting about the victim having been with the defendant’s ex-girlfriend. There was then shouts that the victim was going to f***ing die. ‘I’m going to kill you. I will come back later on and slash you up.’” If the man’s sister was at the house later she would also be slashed, Miles said.

The prosecutor added: “The victim was told to sleep with one eye open as he knows a lot of people and they would go to the house and get him.”

Miles dragged the man to the bed and continued hitting him. The attacker’s friend, with whom he had come to the house, stepped in and told him to leave.

The attack did not stop. Miles pushed his victim into a corner of the room then into a chair where he was said to have tried to bite the man’s face.

He cleaned himself up in the victim’s bathroom and left.

The victim said he had lost consciousness twice in the assault, had displaced his nose and was left so bruised that he later lost his job as his employers felt his swollen features gave the wrong impression to customers. An Offwhite jumper worth £100 was ripped during the fight.

Daniel Miles Picture: WILTSHIRE POLICE

Threats

Within hours of the attack, as the victim was being treated at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, Miles telephoned him. His sister picked up the call. Miles accused his victim of being a “snitch”. He added: “Come speak to me and we’ll sort this out.”

He sent a series of threatening Snapchat messages, including one warning his victim: “Sleep with one eye open.”

Plea

Miles, of Kyte Way, Trowbridge, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and sending threatening messages.

The court heard he had 16 previous convictions dating back 15 years. They included eight convictions for affray, assault, assaults on emergency workers and obstructing police.

He was on a suspended sentence at the time of the latest attack, which had been imposed this year by magistrates.

Prison builder

Defending, Andrew Stone said his client had suffered from depression and substance misuse. While on remand the trained builder had been leading a works party doing maintenance jobs at HMP Bristol. He was also a mentor on programmes aimed at violence reduction and tackling drug addiction.

He said of the dad-of-two: “He feels a deep sense of shame for the example he’s currently set for those children.”

Mr Stone added: “He doesn’t want to be the sort of person who does this. He’s doing everything he can to make sure he doesn’t.”

Judge Crabtree sentenced Miles to 14 months for the June offences and added two months for the breach of the suspended sentence order.

He said he had considered whether the 16 month sentence could be suspended, but concluded: “It is clear that your compliance in the past with probation has not been good. Moreover, this was an ABH that involved a brutal attack in the home of the complainant. It is simply too serious in my view for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.”

A restraining order prevents him from contacting the victim or going to his house in Frome Road.