Gemma Hollings, 37, has been jailed for eight years after she attacked partner Paul Kirkpatrick, 30, slashing his neck with a broken bottle

A woman who hit her partner with a hammer and pole, and slashed him with a broken glass bottle has been jailed for eight years.

Gemma Hollings, 37, was jailed for two counts of grievous bodily harm, and two of assault, in 'one of the worst cases of domestic violence' police had ever seen.

Paul Kirkpatrick, 30, had his neck slashed with a bottle, suffered a cut above his eye, and had a bone in his face broken after a vicious attack in May.

Police found the victim lying in the street after he ran away from the home he shared with his partner in Darwen, Lancashire.

He told officers that she had caused the wounds after an argument over her hair straighteners.

Speaking after the hearing at Preston Crown Court, DC Jenny Berry, said: 'The victim suffered very traumatic injuries. They could have potentially been fatal.

'This was a nasty attack. It is certainly one of the most serious cases of domestic violence I have ever come across. It was a relentless assault.

'Justice has now been done for the victim and he just wants to forget about the whole thing and move on with his life.'

She added: 'The bottle had been used to cause the injury to his neck. When the victim was found, he did not really understand the significance of his injuries.

'Since the attack, he has been able to move on. He has moved away and is not living in Darwen anymore. He has made a fresh start now that Hollings is in prison and the further away from her he is, the better.'

The officer said cases of domestic violence against men were not reported to police as often as those against women.

She added: 'We do not hear of many cases of domestic violence against men because they are very much under-reported.

'This is the first domestic violence case I have dealt with which has involved a man.

Preston Crown Court (pictured) heard that Hollings attacked Mr Kirckpatrick over the course of two days after the couple got into a fight over a pair of hair straighteners

'Tackling the issue is one of our main priorities and I would urge anyone, male of female, who is experiencing it to come forward.'

Wendy Chappell, senior prosecutor, said: 'Gemma Hollings carried out a series of violent attacks on her partner over two days using her bare hands and several weapons.

'He received extremely serious injuries resulting in him requiring hospital treatment.

'Everyone has the right to feel safe and be safe in their personal relationships, therefore, the CPS and police take all cases of domestic violence extremely seriously regardless of whether the victim is male or female.

'Bringing the perpetrators of such offences to justice remains a high priority.

MALE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS Domestic violence is still a largely hidden crime, and police forces have been criticised for poor data collection on the issue. But based on current estimates, it is believed that 30 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16. Almost 40 per cent of domestic violence victims are thought to be male, with an estimated 720,000 men attacked in the last year, compared to 1.2million women. That gap narrows considerably when it comes to the most severe type of abuse, with 1 per cent of men falling into that category, compared with 1.4 per cent of women. While the issue is now more widely reported by all victims, men are still twice as likely to stay silent after abuse. This year Home Secretary Theresa May raised the prospect of a new offence of domestic abuse. The new charge would cover grey areas such as stalking and financial control that are not wholly covered under existing laws. - Data provided by charity ManKind Advertisement

'I would like to encourage anyone who has been a victim of such offences to come forward and report it to the police and we will support you in every possible way.'

Rachel Horman, a solicitor specialising in domestic violence, at Watson Ramsbottom, said men often felt too embarrassed to tell the authorities.

She said: 'It is harder for men to come forward because of ideas of masculinity and that men should be tough. Some men feel ashamed, but I would urge them to get help from the police or domestic violence charities.

'They should not be embarrassed because every specialist will have dealt with men before.'

According to Home Office statistics, 2.7 million men have experienced some form of domestic abuse in their lifetimes, with 700,000 victims reported in 2012/13 alone.

A spokeswoman from the Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Domestic Violence Team said they often saw cases of domestic violence against men, but that there were still more women who came forward.

She said: “Regardless of gender, if you are feeling frightened or want someone to talk to about something going on in the home, give us a call and we can support you.

'Gender does not matter, everybody is treated as an individual.'

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire’s police and crime commissioner, said: 'Domestic abuse is a problem which affects all sections of society, and is one which I take very seriously.

'It is vitally important all victims - whether they are male or female - feel they are able to come forward. The courage and bravery displayed by the victim in this case is to be commended.