A domestic abuser who fractured a woman’s skull with a hatchet as she tried to escape his violence has been handed an eight-year extended sentence.

Stephen Kennedy, 45, from Belfast, struck the woman in the head and back multiple times with the hatchet, leaving her with serious wounds, fractures and extensive blood loss.

Police said the attack followed a sustained period of abuse. When the 49-year-old tried to hide from him, Kennedy armed himself with the hatchet.

Officers were alerted by ambulance crews on February 29, 2024. They found the injured woman in the ground-floor communal area of a block of flats, with puncture wounds to her head and back.

Her injuries included skull fractures, severe cuts and significant bruising.

Kennedy pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated by domestic abuse.

He was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on October 9 to six years’ custody followed by two years on extended licence.

Judge Philip Gilpin agreed with the Probation Board that Kennedy posed a future danger to the public.

When he reaches the halfway point of his custodial term, the Parole Commissioners must decide whether he can safely be released and under what conditions. Release is not automatic.