A MAN who lost his temper punched his partner in the arm and slapped her in the face during a heated row.

Stephen Griffiths, aged 37, of Badger Gardens, St Peter’s, Worcester, admitted common assault when he appeared before Worcester magistrates.

The court was told how Griffiths had been in a “rocky” relationship with Laura Jones, the victim, for three years and the assault happened following a heated argument.

Dale Sheehan, prosecuting, said: “She described how Mr Griffiths punched her using a closed fist on the left arm, causing a bruise. A week later it was still there.”

When she went to pack her bags the argument with Griffiths continued and she went back downstairs.

“She described how he came over to her, slapped her using an open palm to the left side of her face near the temple, causing a sharp pain and a lump to develop.

“A week later the lump was still visible.”

The offence placed him in breach of a suspended sentence order for making false representation (fraud).

Mark Sheward, defending, said Griffiths would have pleaded guilty earlier if the crown prosecution service had accepted that there was “no biting whatsoever”, which formed part of the original case.

He said: “It’s fair to say that it was a fairly volatile relationship on both sides.

“He had been subjected to assault by her.

“He accepts that on the day in question following a disagreement, he lashed out and struck her across the face with an open palm and punched her in the arm.

“The injuries were minor and it was reported a week later by the injured party. There was a suggestion he had been texting someone else.”

Mr Sheward also said Griffiths was disappointed with the re-port by the probation service and felt that some of what he had said had been misconstrued.

Mr Sheward said the suspended sentence should not be activated because the other matter was “dissimilar” and his last offence of violence dated back to 2001. He also spoke of Griffiths’ health problems, including his walking with a stick because of a benign tumour which was too near his spinal cord to be operable.

Magistrates gave him a community order for 12 months with supervision and ordered him to pay costs of £620 for his late guilty plea and compensation of £150 to the victim.

No restraining order was made, partly because his ex-partner did not want one made and partly because Griffiths’ actions are already regulated by a non-molestation order.