A violent boyfriend angered by his partner receiving a text message stamped on her phone then punched her in the head and kicked her, a court heard.
John Ashley Hughes repeatedly hit the woman on the side of the head, leaving her with a perforated eardrum. A judge branded the 32-year-old a “jealous, immature woman-beater”.
Swansea Crown Court heard the attack took place in Hughes’ partner’s house in Margam in the early hours of January 16 this year.
Robin Rouch, prosecuting, said the couple were sat on the sofa at around 1.30am when the woman received a text message – something which “angered” the defendant and led to an argument.
The court heard Hughes smashed a wine glass on the floor before taking the phone from the woman and stamping on it.
He then grabbed his partner by her hair and pulled her off the sofa and onto the floor. She landed on the broken glass and gashed her legs. Hughes then proceeded to punch the woman to the side of the head and kick her.
The prosecutor said Hughes started shouting at the woman to clean up the blood from her leg wounds. She asked him to get something from the kitchen to wipe it with and when he left the room she took the chance to flee.
Mr Rouch said the woman ran to a phone box and called 999, staying in the box until police arrived at around 2am.
Hughes was arrested and his victim was taken to hospital. The court heard she had cuts to her legs which needed stitching and suffered bruising and a perforated eardrum.
The prosecutor said there was no lasting damage to her hearing as a result of the assault.
Hughes, of Glan Pelenna, Pontrhydyfen, Port Talbot , admitted unlawful wounding and criminal damage. The court heard he had four previous convictions for seven offences, including one in 2015 for battery of a different partner. On that occasion he slapped and punched the woman before dragging her around the house.
Dan Griffiths, for Hughes, said he had seen “numerous” text messages to his client from the victim in the months since the assault. He said the defendant had been in custody since June 6 after breaching bail conditions.
Judge Paul Thomas QC described the defendant as a “jealous, immature woman-beater” who needed to grow up. He also said he wondered whether Hughes got some enjoyment from hitting women.
The judge said the appropriate sentence after discount for guilty pleas would have been around 12 months in prison but given the fact Hughes had already served the equivalent of a seven-month sentence while on remand any custodial term he could impose now would mean only a relatively short period behind bars.
He said a better way to deal with Hughes would be to impose a community order which gave the court some control over the defendant.
Hughes was sentenced to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation requirement and thinking skills programme and he was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Thomas told the defendant if he failed to comply with the order in any way, or committed a fresh offence in the next two years, he would be brought back before him and would be sent to prison.
