THE ex-wife of a Chepstow man jailed for two years for viciously attacking her on a night out said she feels much safer knowing he is behind bars.

Leighton Wright, 23, of Alpha Road, Chepstow, was given a two year sentence at Cardiff Crown Court for causing actual bodily harm to Sophie James after an assault in February left her with deep cuts to her face, two black eyes, a split lip and missing front tooth.

Ms James, 22, was pictured in the Argus the week after the assault with one eye swollen shut and blood still visible on her split lip.

But seven months on, mum-of-two Ms James expressed her relief at the sentence handed down to a man she described as “sick” and encouraged other women in violent relationships to get help as soon as possible.

The couple, who married in August 2007, separated in August 2008 after Wright gained a string of convictions for violence against his young wife.

He was serving an 18 week suspended sentence for throwing a set of car keys at Ms James’s face when the latest incident took place in February 2009.

Wright was ordered to serve an extra 16 weeks in prison for breaching the conditions of this sentence on top of the two years for the latest assault.

During the case, the court heard how on February 21 Ms James, of Charnwood Road, St Julians, Newport, was on a night out in the Maindee area of the city when she saw Wright at The Bank pub on Chepstow Road.

Unknown to Ms James, Wright left the pub and went to his sister’s home where he changed his clothes, put on a hooded top and returned to Duckpool Road where he lay in wait for his ex-wife.

As Ms James was walking home Wright ran at her, punching her repeatedly before a passer-by intervened.

It took her three weeks to recover, during which time she stayed with her mother because she was worried her injuries would frighten her children Josh, three, and Lacey, one.

“I do feel a lot safer for me and my kids now that he’s been locked up. I still do not understand why he did it. That’s what upsets me the most,” she said.

But Ms James said she is putting her life back together, and now plans to start a 26-week training course in Newport to become a teaching assistant.

Wright was found guilty of actual body harm on July 21 after a four-day trial.

Sentencing him, Recorder Christopher Clee QC described the attack against Ms James as a “premeditated assault”, adding he believed Wright still posed "a high risk of serious harm" to his ex-partner.