Brute who beat up his ex in front of his own crying children is jailed

A brute who battered his partner in front of their crying children has been jailed.

Paranoid Paul Veitch accused his ex of having another man in the house. Instead, she was chatting to her friend on WhatsApp about Love Island.

The 34-year-old shoved his way into their home and hit his partner of 11 years.

At South Tyneside Magistrates' Court he was jailed for 18 weeks after his victim revealed the "torture" she'd suffered at his hands.

"I'm used to being assaulted by him - (but) I couldn't believe he's assaulted me in front of the kids," said the mum-of-two in a victim statement.

"It was heartbreaking to see them in such a state."

Paul Veitch has been jailed for hitting his ex in front of their children (ChronicleLive)

Veitch even continued to pester his ex after the attack, with the court hearing he made six calls to her as she made that victim statement to police.

Monday's sentencing heard stocky Veitch is trained in martial arts and has previous for common assault.

While he'd never been prosecuted for attacks on his long-suffering partner, the court heard their relationship had been plagued with domestic abuse at the hands of a man she claims has a cocaine habit.

That came to a violent climax on July 19 when Veitch - whose own affair had ended their relationship - accused her of seeing another man.

He lashed out, with his victim stating: "I was crying and he was calling me horrible names like dirty c***"."

"I didn't want to get help as I would have to lie about where the injuries came from."

The Pennywell defendant, of Parkmore Road, pleaded guilty to assault by beating.

In mitigation, even his own solicitor admitted the attack was "horrible".

But mitigating, Charlie Carr pleaded for the three-person bench to suspend his prison sentence arguing it was his first major conviction for viiolence.

"(His criminal record) is all drugs and motoring offences," said the solicitor

"On the face of it he does not appear to be a violent man."

The defendant, said to have once been in charge of over 40 people at a factory, is now on benefits and training to be a fitness trainer.

The court also heard that despite the attack happening in front of his children, he still looked after them up to four times a week.

And Mr Carr added a short jail sentence would not only serve little purpose, it would also deprive his ex "of her babysitter".

However he was locked up and made subject to an open ended restraining order.

The defendant, of Parkmore Road, must also pay her £100 compensation.