A TEENAGE girl told a court how she was subjected to a savage attack during which her boyfriend punched, kicked, burned and whipped her in a jealous rage.

Kane Jones blistered his 17-year-old girlfriend’s skin with a heated-up lighter and used an electric cable as a lash during the prolonged beating.

And when the 21-year-old finally let her go to bed, he snarled ‘Don’t let me hear you cry’ and the following morning told her it was her fault he had done it.

Jones denied a charge of actual bodily harm but was found guilty following a trial at Swindon Crown Court, even though the victim failed to turn up to give evidence.

In her absence, Judge Tim Mousley QC ruled her witness statement could be read out to the jury, despite her not being there to be cross-examined.

Although a witness summons was issued to get her before the court and she had told police she would attend she ‘went missing’ on the morning of the trial.

The jury of seven men and five women heard what she told officers hours after the attack, and also saw an album of 106 photos detailing injuries all over her body. They were told Jones started to argue with his partner of three years about her having boyfriends before they both got together on the night of June 22.

She told him ‘I’m not arguing with you’ but at about 11pm, he started to punch and kick her, leaving her with numerous bruises.

“I covered up with my arms to protect myself,’’ she told police.

She said he then took a wire and used it as a whip to lash her, leaving marks and breaking the skin.

“I was crying and asking him to stop but this just continued. I don’t know how long this lasted,’’ she told officers.

“He picked up a lighter and heated it up, held it against my shoulder and the back of my neck and caused it to blister. I screamed out in agony.

“During the incident Kane put one hand across my face and neck. He also put my face in to the sofa so I couldn’t breathe.’’ She said she also recalled him throwing a glass of water in her face before telling her they were going to bed, saying ‘Don’t let me hear you cry.’ The following morning, before going off to work as a landscape gardener with his brother, he told her it was her fault he had done it.

When questioned, Jones answered ‘no comment’ to almost all of the questions and when asked why, said ‘It’s a lot of nonsense to be quite honest’.

He said his girlfriend went ‘a bit haywire’, lashing out, and he did nothing back.

Tara Wolfe, prosecuting, said a month later the victim made a second statement saying she did not want to support the prosecution, but repeated it was all true.

Jones, of Calcutt Park, Cricklade, said he had been acting in self-defence but the jury did not believe him and found him guilty.

He was released on bail to March 19 for reports to be carried out, but was warned he could be jailed.