A 36-year-old man who whacked his daughter with an iron and broke his partner’s wrists by beating her with a broom has been jailed for two years.

Saleem Afzal did not know his partner had cancer when he attacked her in the family home only weeks after assaulting the ten-year-old child, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Afzal, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to common assault on his daughter and unlawfully wounding his partner, who is now receiving intensive treatment for her illness.

He also admitted possessing cocaine and amphetamine for his own use.

Prosecutor Jon Gregg said the girl was sent from school to St Luke’s Hospital, Bradford, with an iron-shaped mark on her back. She said her father had struck her with the cold iron and thrown a shoe that hit her in the face.

Afzal told police the children were arguing on the morning of January 31 and he asked them to be quiet and went back to bed. When the noise from their bedroom resumed, he became more angry and assaulted the girl.

After his arrest, he went back to the house in Bradford in early March, in defiance of his bail conditions, and accused his partner of having an affair with a taxi operator. He attacked her with a broom, breaking bones in both her arms.

Stephen Wood, Afzal’s barrister, said his partner had written “a heartbreaking letter” to the judge pleading for him to be allowed home.

Mr Wood said that if she had not been so ill, she would have done everything in her power to have the case dropped.

Afzal cared for her deeply and had pleaded guilty, sparing her the ordeal of having to give evidence.

Mr Wood said Afzal had spent his time on remand completing courses in prison.

“He has developed an insight into the root causes of his offending, which are undoubtedly drink and drugs, and developed a capability to address these issues,” Mr Wood said.

Afzal knew what he did was “very very wrong” and felt genuine remorse.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Afzal’s attack on his partner was “barbaric and vicious”.

“Unbeknown to you, the woman you were beating was suffering from cancer and is now receiving very intensive treatment,” he said.

Jailing Afzal, the judge wished him and his family the best of luck and thanked his partner for attending.

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