A DOMINEERING husband headbutted his wife and slapped her in the face when she failed to bring him clean socks during a campaign of abuse.

Andrzej Kwietniewski admitted controlling and coercive behaviour at the home he shared with his now estranged wife in Chedworth Drive, Warndon, Worcester.

A judge accused him of feeling 'hard done by' even after admitting slapping his wife, grabbing her throat and threatening to kill her in text messages.

The 39-year-old father, who now lives apart from her in Arundel Drive, Worcester, received a suspended prison sentence at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, laughing at attempts by court staff to pronounce his surname.

Anthony Warner, prosecuting, said Kwietniewski married his wife in 2012 after meeting her the year before following the break-up of her first marriage.

Mr Warner described how when Kwietniewski married her he 'dominated the household', committed two assaults, made a threat to kill her, attempted to control her finances, discouraged her from learning to drive and verbally abused her.

"He tried to bring me down in the best way he could because he felt better about himself," said his wife in an interview with police.

Mr Warner said his wife would give him most of the money she earned working at Tesco and he discouraged her from learning to drive, choosing instead to drive her to and from work.

He described how Kwietniewski would provide her with his cast-off phones but was able to cancel the contracts because they were in his name.

Mr Warner referred to an assault by the defendant on his wife in April 2018.

"He shouted at her that he wanted a shower and some clean socks. When they weren't forthcoming he slapped her on the face. She spoke of wanting to end the relationship and of leaving him. He always replied 'no' and 'no chance'."

During another assault in October 2017 he grabbed her by the throat and headbutted her and when she said she would call the police he told her: "No-one will believe you any more than they would in Poland."

While he was on holiday in Poland last May, he threatened her over the phone, saying: "I will not spare you for this. Even your dog will not help you."

Mr Warner said the defendant would 'make a habit of breaking wind' which 'added to the general distress of the situation' and described how he once chased his wife to a school but the headteacher refused to let him enter the premises.

Kwietniewski was arrested outside the school. When interviewed by police he agreed that some of the things he had done were wrong.

"He agreed he had threatened to kill her. He said he didn't mean that when he said that. He said 'I love my wife and I wouldn't hurt her'," said Mr Warner.

Jason Aris, defending, said he accepted slapping her on one occasion and on a second occasion grabbing her around the throat and headbutting her.

Mr Aris said his client was a working man who had pleaded guilty, had no previous convictions and did not want anything to do with his ex-wife.

Judge Jim Tindal said: "He's feeling hard done by when in fact he's the author of his own misfortune."

Judge Tindal observed that Kwietniewski had not 'come across as full of remorse' in the pre-sentence report and added: "You didn't strike the probation officer as a man with a huge amount of insight into why you are here.

"Let's be very clear about why you are here: You are here because you, on the day of trial, have signed a basis of plea where you accepted assaulting your wife by slapping her across the face and grabbing her around the throat and headbutting her and threatening to kill her in text messages."

Judge Tindal sentenced him to 12 months in prison suspended for two years.

The judge ordered him to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days with a domestic violence workbook and 100 hours of unpaid work.

An indefinite restraining order was made in relation to his wife and he was ordered to pay £500 towards costs.