A WOMAN claims she was knocked out with a vacuum cleaner thrown at her head and threatened with a meat cleaver by her abusive boyfriend, ending up so bruised she looked 'like the Elephant man'.

Christopher Holder denies a string of offences against former partner Abbie Bradshaw, claiming the allegations were made up because she discovered he was cheating on her with her mum.

His trial got underway at Worcester Crown Court yesterday, the complainant claiming she had been 'knocked out by a Hoover' after it was thrown at her by Holder from the top of the stairs.

The complainant also claims she was knocked out when Holder pushed her over a sofa so that she hit her head on the 'concrete slabs' of a fireplace and that he held a 'butcher's knife' to her throat while she sat in her car with her mum.

Other allegations she makes are that he threw a brick at her window, punched her in the face, threw her Sat Nav out of the car window and took her car without permission, 'ragging it' up and down the street.

The 36-year-old defendant of Swallowfields, Warndon Villages, Worcester, denies the following charges; controlling and coercive behaviour between September 1, 2018 and February 13 last year; assault occasioning actual bodily harm on November 2, 2019; assault occasioning actual bodily harm on January 11 last year; having an article with a blade or point (a kitchen knife) in Glenthorne Avenue, Worcester between January 13 and 25 last year; having an article with a blade or point (a meat cleaver ) in Glenthorne Avenue between January 13 and 25 last year; assault by beating on February 11 last year; taking a conveyance without consent (Miss Bradshaw's Ford Ka) on February 12 last year and driving while disqualified, also on February 12 last year.

Tim Harrington, prosecuting, opened the case to a jury, telling them that the couple's relationship 'turned sour' and that the alleged victim had 'finally found the courage to speak about the ordeal she had been suffering for many months'.

He said of their relationship: "It was characterised by the defendant, often for no reason at all, getting into a jealous rage and losing his temper with the person he was supposed to be in a relationship with. He would use threats. He would use violence. He would hit her. He would hurt her for often no reason at all."

Mr Harrington told the court the complainant had taken photographs of her injuries on her mobile phone which were shown to the jury.

The complainant, appearing in court over live link, was asked to describe the relationship with Holder, responding: "Unhealthy, scary, violent. It wasn't good at all."

At one stage she told the jury: "I was scared for my life."

Asked how the alleged 'daily' abuse made her feel, she said: "Worthless. I felt like something on the end of his shoe."

Miss Bradshaw said she had been concussed after she hit her head on concrete slabs by the fire after the defendant pushed her over a sofa as she tried to recover her car keys from him.

She also described how he 'threw a Hoover at me' while he was at the top of the stairs and she was at the bottom during an incident on January 11 last year.

Referring to her injury, she said: "I was like the Elephant man. All you can really see on the photographs is the black eye."

Jurors were also shown a photo of her bloody nose which she said she sustained when the defendant was 'punching me left and right'. The argument, she said, began because she had disagreed with something he said.

She said she had been threatened 'many a time' by the defendant. Miss Bradshaw said they were initially 'empty threats' but then 'he started following through with his threats'.

During one incident she said he ran to her car with two knives, one in each hand. As she sat in the driver's seat, she said the defendant sat beside her in the front passenger seat and held the larger of the two blades, described as a 'big butcher's knife', to her throat. Her mum was in the rear passenger seat at the time, she said.

Miss Bradshaw said Holder told her: "You're going to make me end up killing you."

Jason Aris, defending, cross-examined Miss Bradshaw. He said: "The reason your relationship came to an end with Christopher Holder was because he was sleeping with another woman, wasn't it?"

Miss Bradshaw denied this was why the relationship had ended. Mr Aris asked her if she was aware Holder was 'having an affair with your mum'.

"I wouldn't say an affair as such. It was what it was" said Miss Bradshaw. She added: "I didn't say they were sleeping with each other, no."

She said she had been aware her mum had been touching Holder in 'places that are private' and when she learned about what had happened this made her feel 'not very nice'.

Mr Aris asked her if it was this that had made her tell 'untruths to police about your relationship'.

"What I'm suggesting is that this is the motivation for you to tell lies about Christopher Holder, about him being violent towards you?" he said.

"Not at all, no" she said.

Mr Aris also put it to her that Miss Bradshaw had hit her head on the fireplace because she had 'drunk too much' to which she replied 'not at all', telling the jury she was punched and pushed over a sofa by Holder.

The barrister also said his client had put a cold flannel on her head when she hit her head on the fireplace and called her mum to tell her Miss Bradshaw was 'poorly'.

When Mr Aris put it to her that Holder had not punched her at all she replied ' if you say so' but later clarified her response, via the judge, that her answer had been sarcastic.

Mr Aris also suggested to her that the Hoover hitting her head had been 'a complete accident' because his client had become frustrated with the way in which it was operating, picking it up and throwing it towards the door when it struck her.

Miss Bradshaw said: "I don't see how I could accidentally end up with a Hoover smack bang in my face."

The trial continues.