URBANA – A 63-year-old Urbana man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for beating his girlfriend over several hours in December.

Arthur Hoffman, whose last known address was in the 700 block of East Colorado Avenue, pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated domestic battery as his jury trial on those charges before Champaign County Judge Tom Difanis was getting ready to begin.

Assistant State's Attorney Joel Fletcher said that Hoffman and his 50-year-old girlfriend had broken up and she went to the apartment they had shared about 4 p.m. on Dec. 16 to collect her belongings.

They began an argument that continued well into the next day. Fletcher said Hoffman hit her several times in the face, breaking the orbital sockets around her eyes. Hoffman left about 4 p.m. the next day, at which time the girlfriend went to a neighbor's home to summon help.

Because of prior convictions that included residential burglary, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, battery, domestic battery and aggravated battery, Hoffman had to be sentenced as a Class X offender to between six and 30 years in prison.

In return for his plea, a count of unlawful restraint in that case and another unrelated case of failure to register as a sex offender were dismissed.