'Callous' attacker's brutal beating left Colchester woman with broken jaw and needing 50 stitches

Dean Burgess was described as a callous man who left his victim bleeding and failed to get help for her Credit: Essex Police

A woman left with life-changing facial injuries has spoken out about her injuries after the man responsible was jailed for 10 years.

Dean Burgess, 42, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 10 years in jail at Ipswich Crown Court after pleading guilty to wounding with intent.

Burgess attacked the woman in a drunken rage in June 2022, inside her home in Colchester.

She was left with stab wounds to her arms and hands, a head wound from being hit with a glass bottle and life-changing injuries to her face from being punched repeatedly.

She is still receiving extensive treatment in hospital for a broken jaw, multiple fractures and deep lacerations to her head and face.

After the assault, Burgess left the woman in her bedroom bleeding from her injuries and passed out on the sofa in the living room. He left the house the next morning.

The victim, who has not been named, has had five operations to try to heal the damage caused by the attack.

She said: “I’ve had 22 stitches in my cheek and 31 to the back of my head. My eye socket was dislodged, my nose was broken in three place and both my jaws were broken."

The victim said her life had been ruined by the attack and she would not wish it on her worst enemy.

She said: “I’m still coming to terms with how I look in a mirror and my kids find it hard to look at me.

“I was always the life and soul of the party and now I struggle to even leave the house.I knew something was wrong with his behaviour but I never thought he would lay a hand on me."The woman thanked her family and Essex Police for all the support they had given her.

“My investigating officer from Essex Police, Jason, has also been an absolute star. I’ll always remember that he stayed with me and supported me when I gave my first statement. I know he’s worked noon and night to help me."DC Jason Corrigan, the investigating officer from Colchester’s Domestic Abuse Investigation Team, said: “The sheer callousness of Burgess is still hard to comprehend.

“Even when he awoke the next morning, he still didn’t seek help for the woman he’d assaulted or feel any remorse for his actions. He just left her there on her own."

The victim also thanked her investigating officer from Colchester's Domestic Abuse Investigation Team (DAIT) and her Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) team at Next Chapter for their support.