HARTSHILL MAN JAILED FOR ASSAULTING EX-PARTNER IN STOKE-ON-TRENT
Aggressive Matthew Hassall pushed his ex-partner during a violent row and two months later he repeatedly punched her in the head.The 40-year-old accused the woman of cheating on him and trawled through her iPhone and CCTV to try to catch her in the act.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he saw red and began pushing her around in her home, leaving her shaking.
Two months later he turned up at the woman's address and punched her four times to her forehead.
Prosecutor Matthew Ness said he and the victim were ex-romantic partners.
Hassall was invited to the woman's home on April 5, driving her there.
During a lengthy argument that afternoon, he accused her of having cheated on him, which was caught on CCTV.
Footage showed him trawling through her iPhone and CCTV footage over hours, turning off the privacy screen on the cameras to conceal his actions.
A neighbor heard screaming and loud bangs, shouting 'Help.' Hassall later turned up at her address at 4:30 am, kicking her head in and punching her three or four times, leaving red marks.
The neighbor saw him pushing her into the doorway while she was telling him to leave, and described her as visibly shaking.
On June 10, the victim called police in distress.
They found her in a visibly emotional state, sobbing and gasping.
Hassall, of Osborne Road, Hartshill, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating.
He has 13 previous convictions for 20 offences, including four for violence, and has already served his sentence on remand.
The court sentenced him to eight months in jail, with immediate release.
A restraining order was made banning contact with the victim for two years.
The judge stated: 'These are serious offences.
They are aggravated by your previous convictions.'
