A woman is on a permanent soft-food diet after her kick-boxer boyfriend roundhouse kicked her in the face at a Norwich gym.

The woman her jaw broken and lost two teeth in the attack by Grigorijus Mensikovas, 36, a martial arts and kick boxing expert.

He was at the Phoenix Gym in Norwich when his then partner came to see him.

King’s Lynn Crown Court heard that while in the gym at St Mary’s Plain, an argument broke out.

Will Carter, prosecuting, said the victim became extremely upset and, “on occasions”, struck the defendant who later flipped and struck his partner in the face with a roundhouse kick.

He said she required a metal plate being inserted to help her jaw heal.

She needs further operations and has been told it will be another three years before her jaw returns to something like normal.

The victim is on a soft food diet as a result of her injuries and is expected to be so for the rest of her life.

Mr Carter referred to a statement from the victim describing how she had been in a relationship with the defendant for “several years" until they separated in February this year.

Mensikovas, of Rayns Close, Norwich, appeared in court on Friday (June 11) for sentence, having been convicted after a trial of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm on September 23 2018.

Sentencing Mensikovas to seven years in prison, Recorder Justin Rouse QC told the defendant his feet were weapons and that he was well aware of the type of injuries that might follow.

He said: "I'm sure that you became angry with her and decided to teach her a lesson."

He said the incident had impacted the victim's life "in almost every way, even down to what she can eat for the rest of her life".

Mensikovas, who sat with his head in his hands when the sentence was passed, was also made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim for seven years.

Alex Du Sautoy, mitigating, said the incident “lasted a matter of seconds”.

He said he did not want to belittle the injuries suffered by the victim but said there was “much more” to the defendant “than those few seconds”.

Speaking after the case, DC Cormac Harrison said: “This was a horrendous assault committed by an offender who falsely convinced himself that he was out of reach from the law. He wasn’t.”