A violent man who smashed up his partner's home in front of her young children has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Vincent Walmsley flew into a temper during an argument with Heidi Moule over her ex-husband.

He ripped the doors off a wardrobe, wrecked a hall table and ripped up some of Miss Moule's clothes on June 13 last year, Worcester Crown Court heard.

The incident happened at a house in Stourport during a birthday party for the victim's 10-year-old daughter.

Car dismantler Walmsley, who had a record for violence dating back to 1979, also attacked Miss Moule during a weekend break at the seaside and in her bedroom at home, said Tim Sapwell, prosecuting.

Judge David Matthews ruled that 41-year-old Walmsley, of Lisle Avenue, Kidderminster, posed a significant risk to the public of serious harm in the future.

He extended the defendant's prison licence to two years and added a further 68 days of an unexpired jail term to his sentence.

It will be up to the parole board to decide if Walmsley is released after serving half his sentence.

The judge said: "For young children to see an adult smashing up furniture is a terrifying experience."

Walmsley admitted criminal damage, assault causing actual bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Saleem Mahmood, defending, said the father-of-two's behaviour stemmed from a difficult upbringing, including being in care from the age of 12. But he had embraced Buddism while on remand and now appreciated the value of family life.