A violent binge-drinker subjected his wife and daughter to a 15-year campaign of “revolting degradation”.

John Richards, from Whitstable, terrorised his family with physical, verbal and psychological abuse.

The 48-year-old’s “tyrannical behaviour” included spitting and urinating on his partner and burning her face with hot food.

But the thug would later play down his actions “with weasel words” after details of his harrowing actions came to light.

During his reign of abuse, Richards regularly consumed eight cans of lager a day, and mistreated his daughter her entire life.

Siobhan Cawkwell, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday: “From the time she was born, Richards’ behaviour towards her was abusive, putting her down, threatening her, calling her names and keeping her isolated from her family.

“He would tell her her mother was lazy and useless, and the girl recalls one incident when he told her he would kill her mother by the time she was 18.

“When her father grinned, she said it was a warning sign that he was about to snap.

“She said that he would threaten to beat her mother if she did not buy beer for him, even though the family could not afford it.”

In addition to two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, Richards was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for burning his wife’s face with a hot burger bun.

The woman had placed her husband’s burger in the oven to keep it warm, but Richards flew into a rage when he later found the bun had hardened.

“He held it to her face so that it burnt her, before spitting in her hair,” the prosecutor said.

“On another occasion he started laying into her until she fell into the bath; he then urinated on her.”

In a pre-sentence report, Richards, of Downs Avenue, said he did not see himself as someone who has a bad temper or is negatively affected by alcohol, the court heard.

Mitigating, Oliver Kelham said his client pleaded guilty before trial and was not a heavily convicted man.

He said Richards had previously acted as a care-giver to his mother after she had a fall - assisting her with cleaning, cooking and other household chores.

“He held the burger to her face so that it burnt her, before spitting in her hair...”

Judge Mark Weekes handed Richards an immediate spell in prison after branding his comments to the probation services “weasel words”.

He also praised the victims’ courage during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

“You have committed multiple incidents of violence, assaults, genuine controlling behaviour of significant seriousness over your wife, subjugating her to quite revolting degradation,” said the judge.

“The consequence of your tyrannical behaviour against your wife and daughter will no doubt take them many, many years to recover from, but while they are in one sense victims, they are in every other sense, survivors.

“Your abuse and bullying could not and did not remove their dignity, which shines through in their victim impact statements - in stark contrast to the weasel words used by you in your pre-sentence report.”

Richards was sentenced to a total of five years and six months in prison and issued with a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his wife and daughter or attending any address where they are residing or attending.

He was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge, which the court repurposed, as a token gesture, as compensation for Richards’ wife.

Richards pleaded guilty to two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour in a relationship and assault occasioning actual bodily harm before trial.