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A teenage girl forced to flee Kent in fear of her violent ex-boyfriend has vowed: "I won't let that little boy ruin my life anymore."
The 19-year-old from Canterbury was stalked and twice brutally attacked by Aiden Hubbard-Stewart, who made her life a misery following his release from prison for burgling her family's home.
After one of the assaults the girl's tooth was left hanging out and her nose was so badly broken it had to be reset six times.
But this week, after 21-year-old Hubbard-Stewart was jailed for four years, his victim says she is determined to move on with her life.
"It has been a really traumatic experience for myself and my family, and it still is," she told KentOnline.
"We have had to move because of threats made by him and his friends.
"That day he attacked me still haunts me, but I am in a better place now and moving on with my life, day by day.
"I will not that little boy ruin my life anymore."
The teenager - who we have chosen not to name - was previously in a relationship with Hubbard-Stewart.
He was jailed for 33 months in 2019 for burglary offences and was released in January this year, with a court order preventing him from contacting his ex-partner.
But on June 11 he stalked his victim through Canterbury, hiding behind bins and in alleyways to avoid being seen.
He followed her from Cousins Lounge in Lower Bridge Street to Canterbury East train station, where he “punched her straight out of the blue”, prosecutors explained.
He stole her mobile and used it to call her grandmother three times and repeatedly banged on her door in Salisbury Road.
He evaded police for almost a month and went on to call his victim another 16 times, trying to persuade her to withdraw any evidence against him.
He then pounced on her again on July 7, breaking her nose during an attack in Salisbury Road.
“The defendant came up behind her. He punched her hard in the face, the force from the blow knocking her down,” prosecutor Paul Valder explained.
“She was bleeding heavily from the nose and a front tooth was hanging off.”
The girl was treated at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital, where she received four stitches. It took six attempts to reset her nose.
Now, she and her family have been relocated from Kent to escape Hubbard-Stewart.
But the attacks have left her wrought with fear, believing her ex-boyfriend wants her disfigured.
Speaking after the first attack, she said: “The trauma caused by Aiden has been relentless.
“I’m physically shaken up by the incident and only came to the town centre for a well-earned night out with my friends.
“I will now be in a constant state of fear. I feel vulnerable and concerned for my family. It is clear he has no regard for me and he just wants to make my life a misery.”
After the second attack, she told officers: “Aiden makes me terrified. I don’t want to leave the house.
"My daily activities are always changing to stop Aiden ambushing me like last night.”
When officers traced Hubbard-Stewart to an address in Cliftonville three days after the second attack he was trying to escape out of a window.
At Canterbury Crown Court on Friday he could be seen yawning, gesturing to the public gallery and smirking.
Judge Mark Weekes told Hubbard-Stewart:“Make no mistake this is a case of domestic abuse. You are an abuser and you behaved in a cowardly fashion.
“It is cowardly because your victim can’t fight back. You have bullied and brow-beaten her because you enjoy a sense of power.
“Your attempt to laugh the case off - playing to the public gallery - demonstrates to me a real lack of insight or remorse.”
Hubbard-Stewart, previously of Tennyson Avenue, Canterbury, was also handed an indefinite restraining order after pleading guilty earlier this year to unlawful wounding, intimidation, assault by beating and breaching a non-molestation order.
His barrister, Kerry Waitt, said: “He is a young man facing a significant time in custody.
“On his release he will again be subject to supervision.
“I would submit that this defendant, who has two friends present in court who have stood by him, is anxious to turn around his life and move on.”
The victim praised the police for their support, saying: "I am very happy about the sentence and all the work Detective Constable Sam Mayne put in. He has been amazing throughout this whole ordeal."
DC Mayne added: "Hubbard-Stewart put this victim through a harrowing ordeal and I would like to praise her courage in supporting our investigation and this prosecution.
"I hope the speed at which the case has been brought to a conclusion offers her some comfort as she recovers from these distressing offences.
"I encourage anyone who is being harassed, abused or controlled by a partner, ex-partner or anyone known to them to contact Kent Police as soon as possible. We will find a solution which best suits you and work to bring offenders before the courts."
