A man has been sentenced to six months in prison after abandoning an appeal against a conviction of causing grievous bodily harm to Joanna Hassel.

Colin Menzies, 46, of Southampton, was also ordered to pay a sum of $2,109 to pay for the medical expenses incurred by Ms Hassel as a result of the attack on September 5, 2012.

Menzies was first found guilty of the offence on December 18, 2013 and the case was adjourned for sentence until February 11, 2014.

He appealed the conviction for the offence, in which he fractured the complainant’s arm, but later abandoned the appeal and his lawyer Craig Attridge left the case. He appeared this morning for sentencing before magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told the court that the complainant did not provoke the attack and the defendant was not acting in self-defence.

The injury inflicted by the defendant caused the complainant to be out of work for a period of time incurring loss of wages. Her medical expenses alone amounted to “at least” $2,109, said Ms Smith.

The complainant was not insured and, as a non-Bermudian, was not eligible to apply for financial assistance meaning the expenses were out-of-pocket.

Ms Smith added that the complainant also suffered “emotional injury” as a result of the attack that represented a breach of trust.

“The defendant is to be blamed for the offence,” Ms Smith said.

The only mitigation of his case, she said, was that, while Menzies was “not a stranger to the courts”, he had no recorded offences.

A social inquiry report concluded that the defendant showed no remorse and that he had not even made an apology to the complainant. She said the offence attracted a custodial sentence of six months’ imprisonment and repayment of expenses to the complainant. “There is nothing that should attract a suspended sentence,” she said.

Representing himself, Menzies maintains that he was hit in his sleep and the attack on Ms Hassell was a combination of an accident and a reaction to being attacked.

The judge reminded the defendant that he had rejected this defence during the original trial.

“The offence was that you sprang up and she was on the ground and you were kicking her,” Mr Tokunbo said. “You can move on from this, but first you have to deal with it by way of absolving the penalty.”

Menzies told the judge that he had made many mistakes in his life, for which he apologised. But he added: “A great deal has changed since 2012. I’m married to a wonderful and supportive wife. I would appreciate the opportunity to move forward.”

He added that he took care of the complainant, gave her money and bought her a bike.

Mr Tokunbo said: “That doesn’t negative or dilute what happened between you and her.”

He was then led to the cells to begin his sentence.