A New Bedford man was sentenced to four to five years in state prison in connection with two violent assaults against his former girlfriend.

Gregg Miliote, the Director of Communications for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, announced on Friday that 43-year-old Scott Haynick submitted an “unagreed” guilty plea in Fall River Superior Court.

The six count indictment charged Haynick with strangulation, three counts of assault and battery, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of witness intimidation.

Miliote says the first incident took place on April 18, 2015 when, during the course of an argument Haynick pushed his girlfriend with both hands and threw a lamp at her, causing a mirror to break.

The commotion was overheard by two neighbors who knocked on the couple’s apartment door to see if they were safe.

Haynick then grabbed a knife and chased the neighbors out of the apartment.

Miliote says the second incident took place on July 11, 2015 when the victim ran into Haynick after having broken up with him.

She arrived home hours later to find him sleeping on her couch.

When she told him to leave Haynick began breaking items then threw her to the ground, began strangling her, pulled a handful of hair from her head, and repeatedly punched her in the face, causing significant bruising to both of her eyes.

At one point, the victim tried to grab her phone to call police but the defendant bit her fingers and threw the phone across the room.

She then ran to her bathroom where she barricaded herself in and called police.

"I am satisfied the defendant received a lengthy state prison sentence for this animalistic behavior against his ex-girlfriend,” said District Attorney Thomas Quinn “this type of inhumane conduct cannot be tolerated by our society."

Upon his release Haynick must also serve two years of supervised probation.

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