A man has been jailed for 14 years for spraying his ex-partner in the eyes with ammonia, causing long-term injury and distress.

Matthew Johnson, 26, a roofer, from Worthing, was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court on Tuesday, having been convicted in the same court on January 23 of using a noxious substance to cause grievous bodily harm and sexual assault.

He was also convicted of both actual bodily harm and criminal damage over a previous incident in which he attacked the same woman in March 2016.

He will spend the first ten years in custody and the other four years will be spent on prison supervision licence. 

He also received other sentences to run concurrently with the 14-year sentence which are:  

  • three years for sexual assault 
  • 18 months for actual bodily harm 
  • 18 months for criminal damage and
  • two months for driving whilst disqualified.

Detective Constable Duncan Chalmers of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "This was a vicious assault by Johnson on his then 30-year-old ex-partner on August 3 2016.

"He met her in Worthing, told her that he had a knife and ammonia and forced her to drive them both to a remote car park at Steyning Bowl, near Steyning, where he squirted ammonia in her eyes from a plastic sun tan bottle which we later found at the scene, before beating her black and blue and then sexually assaulting her.

"After this ordeal he prolonged her agony by driving her around for several hours before he dropped her off at Worthing Hospital later the same day.

"The victim’s eyes have still not fully recovered from the attack even now. She has to wear glasses and cannot drive at night"

In sentencing Johnson, Judge Shani Barnes said that her own experience of seeing the photos of the injuries would stay with her for some time. He also described Johnson was "the knight in shining armour who became dark and dangerous."

Johnson fled Lewes Crown Court on May 9 last year when he was initially due to stand trial for the offences.

He was arrested at an address in Broadwater Road, Worthing, on September 5, in a police search shortly after he had been spotted in the same street by someone who recognised him.

During the arrest Johnson broke his ankle when he fell from a flat roof when attempting to evade officers.