A CRUEL husband who bullied and attacked his wife over a seven-year period has been jailed for 22 months.

Turkish-born Cengiz Akyuz, 29, of Leicester Close, Jaywick, used to force his wife, Nicola, to choose how she should be punished.

Sometimes, it would involve violence, and sometimes having her hair shorn off, or an irritant smeared on her eyelids, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

On other occasions, he put perfume in her mouth and eyes and threatened to set light to her hair.

During an hour-long onslaught last March, he hit her with a pool cue, a plastic back scratcher and the end of a pair of scissors, whipped her with a belt and punched her in the face, the court was told During the attack, he also bound her wrists, tied her to the bed and taped her mouth to muffle her screams.

Akyuz admitted assault causing her actual bodily harm and false imprisonment in relation to the March attack.

He also pleaded guilty to putting her in fear of violence between January 1, 2002 and April 1, 2009.

He had initially denied all the charges, but changed his plea in September.

At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Richard Potts, said throughout their seven-year-marriage, Akyuz had shown his controlling nature.

He liked to dictate what his wife ate and would make derogatory remarks about her appearance.

Akyuz’s lawyer, Peter Clark, said if he was jailed for more than 12 months for any single offence he would automatically face deportation to Turkey, severing contact with the couple’s six-year-old son.

Judge Christopher Ball QC said he accepted Akyuz was hardworking, honest, friendly and helpful, but described his conduct towards his former wife as “controlling, bullying and violent”.

Akyuz had found it hard to acknowledge how bad and how wrong his behaviour towards his wife had been, the judge added.

He jailed Akyuz for 11 months for assault and 11 months for false imprisonment, to run concurrently, and for a further 11 months for harassment, to run consecutively The judge said this would leave his deportation at the discretion of the immigration authorities.

He also forbade contact with his wife for seven years.

Akyuz, who was of previously good character, has already spent 223 days in custody awaiting trial. This will count as part of his sentence.