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A twisted thug who thought he was the Joker smirked as he was jailed for throttling his ex-partner so violently that his victim thought she was going to die.

Evil Noel Mooney, aged 35, smiled from Derby Crown Court dock as he was handed a two-year prison sentence - causing his victim to weep.

The court was told that Mooney's savage attack may have caused permanent damage to his victim's hearing and sight, DerbyshireLive reports .

He told he would “******* kill her” as he tightened his grip around her neck in the attack in May 2018.

His victim said she had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and struggles with flashbacks, panic attacks and anxiety.

She said Mooney was a monster who was obsessed with Batman character the Joker.

He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and was jailed for two years.

He looked straight into the eyes of his victim as he was led away by officers and rubbed his hands and smiled.

Overcome with emotion, the victim started to cry and was asked to leave the courtroom.

Mooney was ordered to return to the courtroom where Judge Egbuna warned that, if he was brought back in front of him again, he would be shown no mercy.

Derby Crown Court heard Mooney became angry when the 29-year-old victim refused to let him attend her business opening party in May 2018.

The couple had been separated for a month at the time.

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That night, still owning a house key, he showed up at their previously-shared home in James Street, Chesterfield, having taken drugs and alcohol.

Speaking after the trial, his victim said he expressed his anger at not being invited to the party.

He told her: “If you think I’ve been violent in the past, watch me now” before subjecting her to hours of abuse.

He punched her, kicked her, spat at her, dragged her around by her hair and threw her into a table.

She said she tried to escape out of the front door but he kept throwing her keys around.

The court heard the victim managed to break free from his clutches and ran upstairs.

She fled to the bedroom but he grabbed her and began throttling her.

Mooney, of Jaunty Crescent, Sheffield, kept his hands around her neck until her vision became blurred and she lost consciousness.

The victim said she then ran to her car, locked herself in and dialled 999.

Tony Stanford, prosecuting, said the incident had affected the victim’s vision and she had been referred to hospital for tinnitus, an ear condition.

It was unclear whether her injuries will ever heal, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, she said: “I struggle in busy environments where it’s busy and I can hear ringing in my ears.

“This is brought on by stress where I am reminded of Noel and what he has done to me.”

'Committed to staying out of trouble'

Rich Davies, defending, said Mooney had been struggling with the recent death of his grandfather.

Mr Davies said: “It’s important to stress that since the last entry on his record he has stayed out of trouble.

“The most important point is that the defendant has managed to get a job and a reference from his employers.

“He pleaded guilty at a later date, he is committed to staying out of trouble.

“These injuries are ongoing and the medical evidence that we rely on at the moment does not reach a conclusion in the long term."

Judge Robert Egbuna said Mooney, who had previous violence on his record, showed no remorse throughout the trial and waited until the last minute to decide to plead guilty.

Speaking directly to Mooney, he said: “This was a sustained attack on the complainant and has caused her serious injuries.

“She had pain to her throat, she has PTSD and is receiving some sort of counselling.

“You are a controlling individual and you seem to think that women are your property.

“And because (the victim) said you could not go to a party, you went to her house and uttered these words to her: ‘If you think I have been violent in the past, watch me now’.

“She must have been terrified while you were carrying out these attacks and that did not stop you.

“There was intent to cause more serious harm it seems to me.

“Now you ask the court to show you mercy, when you showed no mercy to her.”

The court heard that prior to the attack Mooney had been arrested for breaking a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim.

On the day of the arrest - Halloween - he had been wearing Joker face make up which he was still wearing when the police mugshot was taken.

Paige Oldfield