A DRUNK man punched his partner several times in the face and later throttled her at her Worcester home.

Adelin Ciocirlan was already on bail for one attack on his partner when he carried out a second at her city home within the same month.

The 27-year-old admitted two charges of assault by beating - one on January 11 this year in Evesham and a second at her home in Worcester on January 29 this year.

|The victim in the case, who has now split from Ciocirlan, appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Monday alongside other witnesses, including a police officer.

In the end the defendant changed his plea to guilty at the last minute which meant they did not have to give evidence at what would have been a trial.

Andrew Mitchinson, prosecuting, said the first assault happened in the early hours of January 11 this year.

"They had been out at a friend's house and had been drinking on January 10 and were returning home in the early hours of January 11. It seems that an argument occurred. In the course of that argument the defendant punched the injured party three or four times to the head. He pushed her to the ground, causing a cut to her knee and a graze to her elbow" said Mr Mitchinson.

As a result, police were called and Ciocirlan was arrested and charged with common assault. On January 29, before the defendant had appeared in court, he attended the complainant's address in Worcester.

Mr Mitchinson said: "He pushed her, grabbed her neck with both hands and squeezed and this left a red mark below her jawline."

Jo Outhwaite, defending, conceded it had not been a timely guilty plea but that witnesses had not had to give evidence, something averted by her client's guilty plea.

Mrs Outhwaite also said after the first assault there had been 'repeated contact' from the complainant to Ciocirlan which was what had prompted him to go to her address on January 29.

"It wasn't that he just turned up unexpectedly. He seems to suggest he was living there (in Worcester) for some part of the time" she said.

She also pointed out there had been a retraction statement from the complainant which had led to an application for a witness summons. Mrs Outhwaite said alcohol had been a factor in both incidents and that 'both parties were noticeably drunk'. "He's fearful of ramifications of today" she said.

The probation service interviewed Ciocirlan, now of Highfield Road in Birmingham via a Romanian interpreter before a pre-sentence report was put before the court.

Magistrates imposed a 12 month community order to include 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days which will involve one-to-one work to address his use of alcohol.

They fined him £270, ordered him to pay compensation to the victim of £100, £320 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

A six month restraining order was also ordered which prevents him contacting the victim directly or indirectly and from attending her address in Middle Street, Worcester.