Man who bit woman and tried to torch her bed jailed

A man who broke into a woman's home before biting her, pulling out her hair and trying to set fire to her bed while she slept has been jailed for eight years, with a further three years on licence.

Curtis Wilson, 31, of St Werburghs, Bristol, admitted intentional strangulation, assault causing actual bodily harm, and arson reckless as to whether life was endangered, in September.

The attack on 7 February left the woman with bruising to her face and neck and bite marks. Wilson also tried to set fire to items in the house.

In a statement to the court, the woman says she "struggles to sleep almost every night, with flashbacks keeping me awake." Judge Euan Ambrose called Wilson "extremely violent".

"I don't feel like myself any more," she added. "The things I used to enjoy doing, I no longer enjoy.

"I have had to try to fix my life on my own. I have lost friends and family because I have changed so much as a result of the impact this has had on my life."

Wilson was also made subject to a 15-year restraining order against the woman.

The judge said Wilson's remorse had "arrived late in the day" and described him as "extremely violent" and a "significant risk to members of the public".

Police launched a manhunt after the attack and appealed for information on social media. Wilson was arrested on 14 March after officers found him hiding in the back of a car they had stopped.

He initially denied the charges but changed his pleas to guilty on the first day of a three-day trial at Bristol Crown Court in September.

Det Con Mike Tarling, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Curtis Wilson carried out a terrifying attack on a woman in what should have been the safety of her own home.

"He subjected her to significant violence and then recklessly attempted to start fires, putting her life at even greater risk.

"I would like to commend the victim for the courage and resilience she has shown throughout this investigation and court process."

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