An Ipswich man who claimed he was taken over by an evil force when he carried out a violent attack on his partner which left her bedroom “looking like a scene from a horror movie” has been warned by a judge that he is facing a lengthy jail term.

Giving evidence during his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Carl Donaldson said he remembered grabbing Elizabeth Turner by the hair and hitting her up to six times and “kneeing” her four times.

He said he remembered a “red glow” round him and “being engulfed by a force” after he heard Miss Turner talking to someone on her mobile while they were in bed.

Asked by his barrister Catherine Picardo what caused him to stop the attack, Donaldson replied: “I believe God intervened.”

He said afterwards he had turned on the bedroom light and looked “blankly” at Miss Turner, who was choking and breathing heavily. He said he burst into tears when he saw her and stayed with her to make sure she was all right before leaving her home in Lindbergh Road, Ipswich.

He said on the day of the alleged attack he had been drinking alcohol and had taken drugs.

Donaldson, 41, of Alderman Road, Ipswich, denied wounding Miss Turner with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm on December 24 and an offence of common assault earlier the same month.

He was found guilty of both offences after a two-day trial. The jury took less than 30 minutes to reach their unanimous verdicts.

Judge John Devaux adjourned sentence until the week commencing August 30 and warned Donaldson he was facing a lengthy prison sentence. He said it was up to Donaldson’s legal team if they wanted the court to see a psychiatric report that had been prepared on him.

The court heard Miss Turner had several teeth knocked out and suffered fractures to both sides of her jaw, a fractured left hand and a suspected fracture to her right hand in the assault.

Nicola May, prosecuting, said that following the attack Miss Turner’s bedroom had a pool of blood on her bed and blood spatters on the walls.

The jury has been told Donaldson had a history of violence, with several convictions between 1991 and 2014, including assaults on men, women and police officers.

Miss May said that when police officers arrested Donaldson he said: “I was going to hand myself in about what I did to her.”

Miss May said Donaldson accepted assaulting Miss Turner but denied wounding her with intent and claimed that “something demonic and evil came over him” on the night in question.