A JEALOUS man attacked his pregnant girlfriend, punching her in the face before attempting to strangle her.

Christopher Barnes attacked his partner, Rowena Morris, while she was pregnant with his child, splitting her lip before she hit him back and reported the matter to the police.

The 34-year-old of Broad Street, Worcester, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his partner and was jailed at Worcester Crown Court yesterday.

Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said Barnes had been in a relationship with Miss Morris for about six months and she was pregnant with his child at the time of the offence on October 16 this year.

Mr Whitfield said Miss Morris had attended the defendant's home and had not been allowed in before they had an argument in an alley.

"She reports he had been drinking. That was something he did rather often and to excess and an argument began between them" said Mr Whitfield.

He added: "He was jealous and accused her of having relationships with other men. He punched her in the face which split her lip and squeezed her throat and strangled her.

"She struck out and hit him on the nose. She apologised but said 'you can't strangle me in that way' and his response was 'I can do what I like'."

Mr Whitfield said he then grabbed her and punched her twice but she managed to get away and went to her mother's home. The defendant followed her to Foregate Street and she went from there to the police station where she reported the assault.

Photographs of her injuries were shown to the judge, including a cut to her lip and a bruise to her right, inner elbow. Barnes was arrested at 3.30am that morning. In interview he admitted pushing her over and out of the flat but denied the full extent of the assault.

However, Mr Whitfield said Barnes now accepted the prosecution case on the full facts and pleaded guilty in magistrates court.

Barnes also admitted failing to surrender to bail on November 12 this year. He has seven previous convictions for 11 offences which dated back to October 2008 including convictions relating to domestic violence such as battery and criminal damage. The domestic violence matters relate to another complainant.

Mr Whitfield described how Barnes had been drinking when he threatened to stab her and held a knife over as she lay in her bed.

For this he received a community order for two years and was made subject to a restraining order.

The offence of ABH has a starting point in the sentencing guidelines of 26 weeks custody with a range available to the sentencing judge of a low level community order through to 51 months in custody. Failing to surrender to bail attracts a maximum penalty of 12 months custody Mr Whitfield told the court.

Mr Whitfield argued that the case was of greater harm but lower culpability, arguing that it was an aggravating feature of the case that Barnes had been subject to a community order in respect of a different woman but for a like offence.

Mark Lister, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity at the magistrates court and asked that he be given full credit for that. Mr Lister said: "He's not someone who habitually fails to attend court."

Mr Lister said Barnes had been suffering from depression and anxiety and 'found it very difficult to come to court'. He acknowledged that the offences crossed the custody threshold but said Barnes had already been in custody for over a month.

Judge Robert Juckes QC said: "The court cannot in any way be seen to treat domestic violence differently from any other form of violence. You must understand that. If anything it has become an aggravating feature of the allegation of violence that it is within a domestic context."

Judge Juckes told Barnes it had been a 'persistent offence'.

He jailed him for eight months and imposed a three month concurrent jail sentence for the breach of bail.

The judge said when he was released from custody he would still be subject to a community order imposed by magistrates and could complete the 'building better relationships programme' to which Mr Lister had already referred in his mitigation.

No order was made for compensation as judge Juckes did not deem it appropriate in this case. However, Barnes will have to pay a court surcharge of £140.