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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A woman who was beaten so badly by her spouse police found her blood splattered on the walls of the couple's apartment wants to stay with the man.

The 33-year-old man pleaded guilty in court last week to assault causing bodily harm.

Chief Judge Brian Bruser delayed sentencing until May.

At around 4 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2008, RCMP responded to reports of an assault at a Yellowknife apartment building, said Crown prosecutor Shelley Tkatch.

When police arrived, they found the woman had "injuries to her face, neck and arms. Her clothing was soiled with blood," said Tkatch. "Smears of fresh blood (were) found on the walls of the apartment."

The man had dragged his spouse up the stairs by her hair and told her he was going to kill her. He had been punching her with closed fists, described by Tkatch as what had to be "significant blows."

The woman was taken to Stanton Territorial Hospital and treated for her injuries while her spouse was arrested.

Tkatch told the court it would have been hard for the Crown to prove the case without the man's guilty plea, as his victim "appears to excuse his behaviour."

The man has a previous conviction for an assault on the same victim in 2005. He has since returned to his home community in Nunavut and his victim "wishes to continue on with this relationship," said defence lawyer Jay Bran.

Bran said his client had been drinking at the time of the crime and "has no clear, independent record of what occurred ... he does accept the facts."

"The circumstances are very serious," said Bruser, adding the man gave his spouse a serious beating over a prolonged period of time.

Bruser scheduled sentencing for May 20.