David Berney smoked up to 20 rocks of crack cocaine before attacking hit partner with a TV following an argument over what show to watch at her home in Anerley.
After leaving Ms Moncado “drenched” in blood he armed himself with a knife and threatened to harm himself before being restrained.
On Tuesday (March 11) Ms Moncado told Croydon Crown Court: “He’s a slave to this drug. It wasn’t him who hit me with a TV, it was the drugs.”
Prosecutor James Benson said the pair had been a couple of 15 years when the attack took place on the evening of June 18 last year.
Berney, 53, of no fixed abode, had turned up to Ms Moncado’s assisted living accommodation high on crack cocaine.
During an argument about what to watch on TV, wheelchair bound Ms Moncado sensed he might get violent and was about to hide in the bathroom.
Berney then knocked the TV over before using it as a weapon to strike Ms Moncado twice while she was on the ground.
A neighbour found Ms Moncado “drenched” in blood and managed to disarm Berney as he threatened to harm himself with a knife, Mr Benson said.
Police arrived and arrested Berney, who told them: “I know I shouldn’t be doing this anymore because if it’s not literally killing me, it’s mentally killing me.”
Berney was convicted of unlawful wounding but Ms Moncado turned up to his sentencing hearing in person to urge a judge not to send him to prison.
“I don’t want David to be in prison. He needs help, he doesn’t need prison,” she said.
“He’s a kind, smart, gentle and funny guy when he’s not on drugs.”
She described crack cocaine as “this master that enslaves him” and said she wants him to be free to live his life without this addiction.
Howard Giles, a retired Met Police officer and friend of the couple, joined Ms Moncado in court to argue for rehabilitation rather than punishment.
He described Berney as “a gentle giant” who had been caring for Anne for years.
Recorder Neil Haythorne decided to take the “highly unusual course” of giving Berney a community order rather a prison time.
Berney had been in custody for nine months during these proceedings, so the judge said he had been adequately.
Instead, he ordered Berney to carry out 40 days of rehabilitation activity focused on tackling his addiction issues.
