A DRUNKEN man returned home after a night out at a pub and attacked his partner so violently that she was forced to defend herself with a kitchen knife.

Michael Cross was jailed for 21 months at Worcester Crown Court.

The court heard he lunged at Dawn Housman as soon as she opened the back door at midnight on September 12 and butted her on the nose, said Charles Hardy, prosecuting.She grabbed a knife and climbed on to a worktop but he dragged her down, slammed her on to the floor and said: “You are going to get six hours of this.” She was left badly bruised.

Cross, aged 26, of Norwich Road, Ronkswood, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm. He also admitted a similar assault on a nine-year-old boy on a separate occasion. Mr Hardy said Cross told police that he had drunk 10 pints of beer. He had “lost the plot” and become angry but could remember nothing else.

Cross, who had no previous convictions, was said by Glyn Samuel, defending, to have regretted his actions immediately and wished to apologise. His partner had told him that their relationship was over. He was scared about the way in which he had caused injury.

Judge Patrick Thomas QC said it was a relationship that was far from placid and in which drink played its part.

But Cross had behaved “absolutely disgracefully” when affected by alcohol and had inflicted unforgiveable physical force.