A 41-year-old man beat up his partner and ripped up her clothes after an argument, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Dennis Gubbins, who was in a volatile relationship with Jacqueline Harrison, punched and kicked her, leaving her with bruises and a cut eye, it was alleged.

She told a jury she retreated to the house of a friend in St Agatha's Close, Pershore, but he followed her there and attacked her again.

Gubbins, of Betjeman Close, Pershore, denies two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting, said the couple, who had an on-off relationship for 19 months, "couldn't live with each other or without each other".

The both drank alcohol regularly which led to rows.

Miss Harrison described how Gubbins came to her friend's house at 7am on October 29 last year after she slept there overnight.

He called her abusive names and began drinking from a bottle of cider. When he left to buy more drink, she went to another pal's nearby before agreeing to go back to his flat, where she was living at the time.

She said in evidence: "He was dragging me by the coat and pushing me. He ordered me to get undressed and go to bed. He was very aggressive and ripped up my clothes."

She became frightened after he began punching and slapping her on her head and body.

Miss Harrison said when he had finished the violence she went back to a friend's house in St Agatha's Close but he arrived there at 7.30pm and thumped her twice on the head. She ended up with bruises and a cut eye.

Friends later called police and she was checked over by ambulancemen but did not need hospital treatment.

Miss Harrison said she could not remember what they had argued about. After the violence, she went to live in a women's refuge.

The prosecutor said: "This was a volatile relationship, not helped by drink. The Crown's case is that the defendant on two occasions assaulted Miss Harrison."

Gubbins gave "no comment" answers to police in an interview or remained silent.

The trial continues.