Camperdown's Ben Smart, 40, of Gunner Street, and previously of Warrnambool, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court to intentionally causing injury.

He had only been out of jail for a few weeks after serving eight months for car theft when he beat up his partner on October 8 last year after accusing her of cheating on him while he had been in prison.

Smart became enraged when the victim said the accuser was usually the cheater.

He dragged her off a bed, down a hall, she attempted to escape and he repeatedly punched her to the face and head before pushing her head into a mirror.

Fortunately, Smart's mobile phone rang, he answered it and the victim fled out a window, jumping fences and was able to find refuge in a friend's home from where police and an ambulance were called.

The victim suffered fractures to two bones near the cheekbone, a broken jaw, extensive bruising and swell and possible fractures to her teeth.

Judge Gerard Mullaly said photos of the victim showed dreadful injuries.

"It's crystal clear the attack involved very significant force," he said.

The judge said Smart had an entrenched propensity to attack his domestic partners in an extensive criminal history which dated back to 1994.

In 2004 Smart was jailed for two months after pushing a partner's head against a wall.

The following year he got another six months for similar offending.

Later the same year he got another three months for an assault  after an argument over a phone when he hit a woman 10 or 12 times.

In August 2009 Smart was imprisoned for another 12 months for an assault.

He appealed, got a six-month suspended sentence, but breached it and served the time.

The judge said Smart had a concerning criminal history, had been given chances through suspended sentences and corrections orders, but most of those had been breached.

"My concern is your entrenched propensity for violence against partners," ​​Judge Mullaly said.

He described domestic violence as a scourge and a social evil.

Judge Mullaly said that fortunately now the law had a greater recognition of domestic violence and the reporting of such offending had increased markedly.

He said Smart's offending, while he was his partner's official carer, was even worse considering the offender claimed she had been unfaithful before attacking her.

"Cowards like you brutally attacking a woman is simply not on," he said.

The judge said Smart was a long-time drug user, had been in trouble with the law most of his adult life and was a high risk of reoffending.

Smart admitted he and his partner had been using ice, the woman told him she didn't care about anything, she tried to stop him leaving and he became enraged which led to the assault

He was sentenced to serve five years and six months, with a minimum of four years and he has already served 401 days in custody.