A woman punched her taxi driver ex-partner through the driver’s window of his car four weeks after they broke up.
Christine Banaszak approached Maldwin Harding and told him to wind down his window, then hit him in the face, causing a fracture to his cheekbone.
Sentencing her at Cardiff Crown Court , Judge Nicola Jones said: “This is effectively a domestic violence case, as you had been in a relationship with him.”
The court heard the incident happened on Cardiff Road in Caerphilly on April 27 last year.
James Evans, prosecuting, said the couple had been together for about 10 years, but separated a month before the incident, partly due to her alcohol abuse.
He told the court Banaszak told Mr Harding to wind down the window, then asked him for money.
Prosecutors said she punched him in the face, causing reddening around his eye, numbness and a fracture to his cheek.
In a victim personal statement read out in court, Mr Harding said he had lost his confidence and now feels scared in a way he never used to.
He said he now feels nervous about who he will come into contact with working as a taxi driver and has reduced his working hours.
Mr Evans said: “The offence has knocked him for six.”
Mr Harding added he was anxious about the prospect of having to stand up in court and give evidence.
He said he did not want Banaszak to go to prison, as she is a “nice person” when she is sober, but has problems with alcohol addiction. He said he wanted to move on.
The defendant answered “no comment” to the questions put to her in her police interview.
Prosecutors said she had 31 previous offences on her record, including assault in 2008, which was her last conviction.
Banaszak, 60, from Druids Close in Caerphilly, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Jones noted the “considerable, long-lasting impact” on Mr Harding.
She made an 18-month community order, requiring her to complete 20 days of a rehabilitation activity including the Respectful Relationships programme and 200 hours of unpaid work.
The judge imposed a two-year restraining order and told her to pay £400 towards costs, plus an £85 victim surcharge.
