A thug from Rhyl who bit a woman in the face and attacked his parents has been jailed for two years.

Christian Bell was told by a judge he was a “violent and controlling man” after Mold Crown Court heard about his trail of terror.

Bell grabbed the woman around the neck and punched her. He then stamped on the flowers she had kept from her son’s funeral.

In a separate incident two days later he threw a bottle of Pepsi over her and bit her right cheek, while also threatening to bite her nose.

On another occasion he sexually assaulted her. He tried to open her legs with his hands which left her with bruised thighs. When she fended him off, he said she was “boring”.

Bell’s victim said she had “nightmares almost every night” about her attacker.

The court heard that Bell also went on the rampage at his father’s flat after going around to ask for money, causing £1,000 of damage by smashing up furniture and bannisters. He slapped his father three times in the face and pushed his step-mother.

His father said in a victim impact statement that he was worried what his son would do next as he was unsteady on his feet after undergoing hip surgery.

Bell, the court was told, had 21 previous convictions, including ones for violence, criminal damage and threatening behaviour.

Defence barrister Simon Rogers said: “He is a man who clearly has difficulties. The crux of them relate to his alcohol and drug misuse. He is quite simply unable to control his temper.

“He was in care between the age of 10 and 16 and while it is no excuse it has no doubt had an impact.”

Bell, aged 33, now of Ocker Hill Road, Tipton was convicted of common assault, assault by beating and sexual assault after a trial.

All those offences were committed last year as was a charge of assaulting a police officer, which Bell admitted. He also pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating and criminal damage on January 30 this year.

As well as the prison sentence, Judge Niclas Parry placed Bell under a life-time restraining order in respect of his victim and also told him he could have no contact with his parents for five years.