An "abusive and jealous" man who unleashed a "brutal" attack on his ex-partner and her boyfriend while armed with a screwdriver has been jailed.

Adrian Codreanu, formerly of Rifle Hill, Braintree, was jailed for a total of 12 years at Chelmsford Crown Court after a five-day trial on October 20.

The 37-year-old was found guilty of GBH, attempted GBH and aggravated burglary after he assaulted his ex-partner and her boyfriend two years earlier.

At around 10.30pm on July 2 2021, officers quickly responded to a report of a disturbance at a property in Braintree.

The victim told officers how she had been attacked inside the address by her ex-partner, Codreanu, who was brandishing a screwdriver.

Her boyfriend told police that he was attacked by Codreanu outside the address before he was able to get out of the car he arrived in.

The jury heard how the woman had sustained multiple injuries during the attack including marks on her face, scratch marks where the screwdriver connected with her neck and extensive bruising to her arm and ribs.

Codreanu had used a tracking device on a mobile phone to find out her new address, the trial heard.

They also heard that the man sustained a fractured skull and facial injuries which required hospital treatment.

Codreanu was arrested four days later by police in Lancashire after a warrant was issued for his arrest and charged with GBH, attempted GBH and aggravated burglary and remanded in custody to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on July 9 2021.

Detective Constable James Wagner who led the investigation said: “Adrian Codreanu showed himself as a physically abusive, jealous ex-partner when he unleashed a violent and brutal attack on two innocent people.

“It cannot be underestimated the psychological effect this assault would have had.

“I want to praise the victims for their strength of character and their courage to support this prosecution and, now that they have seen justice served, I hope that they can move on with their lives.”

Detective Sergeant Edward Bishop said: “The work of the Domestic Abuse Investigation Teams across Essex work hard to secure justice for victims daily.

"Officers are there to support and safeguard victims, working closely with support agencies to provide the best service to members of the public.

"Work is completed around the clock to arrest suspects, interview, gather evidence and submit cases to the CPS seeking a remand in custody."