A YOUNG woman subjected to a series of vicious beatings with a baseball bat by her partner has spoken out about her ordeal.

The 25-year-old, whose identity cannot be revealed for her protection, praised Dorset Police for their efforts in the investigation which led to the conviction of John Porter.

The former bubbly and outgoing victim suffered a number of attacks by 30-year-old Porter, of Farwell Road in Poole, between 2006 and 2008.

Porter attacked the woman regularly using a machete, baseball bat and even cans of dog food to inflict injuries upon her.

In 2009 Porter was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, wounding with intent and intending to pervert the course of justice following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

He was sentenced to 16 years in jail and ordered to serve a minimum of eight years.

Porter will not be released until the parole board decides he is no longer a risk to the public.

The woman urged other victims of domestic violence not to be afraid to report attacks to police.

She said: “I was regularly beaten by John, especially when he had had a bad day at work or he’d had an argument with someone.

“My stomach used to churn when I knew he was about to come home.

“One minute he would be really nice, giving me a cuddle and saying that he loved me, but suddenly he would change, especially if I had said something wrong or talked about my friends and family.

“Drink and drugs would always make the situation worse.

“I’ve had my head split open and my nose broken on several occasions, a broken jaw, broken ribs, a fractured arm, suffered cuts and severe bruising on almost every part of my body.”

Praising the victim’s bravery, senior investigating officer DI Stewart Dipple said: “This was one of the most serious cases of domestic violence Dorset Police has ever dealt with.

“We take cases of domestic violence extremely seriously and our first priority is to protect the victim and her family.”