A CANNABIS grower who throttled his ex has dodged a potential jail sentence by skipping court on his birthday, claiming he was self-isolating with Covid-19 symptoms.

Timothy Bird of Ransome Avenue, Worcester, was due to be sentenced for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm upon his ex at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.

However, the birthday boy, who turned 27 on the day of the hearing, did not attend the sentence before Judge Nicholas Cole.

His advocate, David Lee, appeared over videolink and said he had been told Bird was self-isolating, letting the judge know that the information had been ‘late received’.

Mr Lee said he had asked his instructing solicitors to obtain from Bird as much information and independent verification about his decision to self-isolate as possible.

The judge adjourned the sentence until December 16 and observed that it is ‘difficult to obtain corroboration for self-isolation’. The judge said Bird must attend in person next time as, by then, he would have finished his two week period of self-isolation.

“There seems to be no reason why he should not attend. Clearly if he’s able to produce any confirmation as to why he has not attended today that would assist” said the judge.

Judge Cole has asked for Bird to produce proof of any medical reason in advance if he cannot attend on the next occasion.

“The court will expect the defendant to be here in order to be sentenced” said the judge.

The assaults upon Bird's former partner, Emma Winter, happened on January 11 last year and again on February 2 last year.

The offences also placed him in breach of a suspended sentence (seven months in prison suspended for two years), imposed on June 8, 2018 for the production of cannabis.

Mr Lee, defending, said on the last occasion that the first assault was 'far less serious than the second'.

He also said of his client: "He's not got a bad criminal record. The trial was originally supposed to be in October last year."

However, Mr Lee said the complainant had 'gone on holiday' and the case had been delayed through no fault of the defendant.

The court heard that Bird had previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly in 2016 and 2017 and driving with excess alcohol which resulted in a 15 month driving ban.

Bird was also arrested for breach of bail on October 26 last year.

Mr Lee argued that the cannabis cultivation was 'an entirely different type of offence' to the ones he now faced, asking for the judge to indicate that Bird would not receive an immediate custodial sentence.

"But he accepts there will be a substantial sentence" said Mr Lee. "It's accepted the relationship was somewhat toxic from both sides.”

Describing the assault on January 11 last year, John Brotherton, who prosecuted on the previous occasion, said it was 'not as sustained' as the other assault.

"It's pinning her to the bed with his hands around her throat. It's rather different in nature," he said.

Mr Brotherton said this attack left marks under the chin and around the neck of the victim.

The case had previously been adjourned until November 27 for sentence but did not go ahead then either.

'All options', including immediate custody, will remain on the table.