A MAN has been found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend following an argument at his city flat.

After the jury returned the verdict, it was revealed Paul Biddle had previously pleaded guilty to four assaults on emergency workers, and he will be sentenced on all offences this morning.

The victim, Kimberly Probert, had earlier told the jury she had been scared of Biddle, after he throttled her on May 18, 2020 at Biddle’s Lowesmoor flat when the pair had been in a relationship.

It was the case of the prosecution, led by John Brotherton, that on two occasions, the 28-year-old attacked her.

As Miss Probert was trying to leave Biddle’s flat, he had been alleged to have stood in front of her, punched her two or three times, kicked her, then dragged her upstairs by her hair.

But Biddle maintained that he had never assaulted Miss Probert during their four month relationship.

The jury found him not guilty on the first offence, and also acquitted him of damaging her mobile phone.

But it was the second count, related to an incident that took place in the early evening of May 18, that Biddle was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, following just over three hours deliberation.

Miss Probert had told the jury the moment that had really scared her was when he throttled her round the neck, and that was the reason she pursued the case.

It was the prosecution’s case that in the bedroom Biddle, who had previous convictions involving assaults on women, also punched the victim and squeezed her windpipe. She escaped to the bathroom and there she pressed up against the door before Biddle counted down from three, and forced his way in, knocking the door off its hinges.

This led the victim to send a message to her sister saying: “I have been battered by him”.

The police were called and during his arrest he assaulted four officers, that led to the charges of assault on emergency workers which Biddle admitted.

Judge Jackson agreed that Biddle should be sentenced at 9.30am today, and after ordering for him to be taken down Biddle said he would not be attending.

The judge replied: “If Mr Biddle refuses to get on the van, the matter will be dealt with in his absence”.

Then, while the judge was thanking the jury for their time, he was forced to pause after a member of the public left the public gallery making a dog bark noise.