AN ALCOHOLIC emptied cat litter over his former partner after going to her home despite a restraining order banning him from contacting her, a judge has been told.

Neil Pailor had only been out of prison for a few weeks when he went to her house and launched the attack on the woman and a visiting friend.

The 33-year-old punched his former partner and her female pal in an assault which ended with him emptying the cat litter over them, a court heard.

But after hearing he had spent time drying out in custody while on remand and had to have a working relationship with his ex for the sake of their children a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how Pailor had gone to the woman's house in Moredon on the evening of Tuesday March 18.

The door was answered by her friend, at about 9.30pm and when his ex appeared at the top of the stairs she told him he shouldn't be there.

Mr Meeke said: "She was of the view that he was quite drunk. He came in to the premises and set about the women.

"He does not accept the nature of the attacks. They each say he punched them about several times and eventually emptied the cat litter over them. Whatever, they were left battered and bruised."

He said the attack came to an end when one of the women grabbed a garden spade and when he left the police were called.

When he was arrested he said the women had made it all up in order to get him in trouble and probably hit each other to get the injuries.

Pailor, of Pinehurst Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault and breaching a restraining order.

The court heard he had previous for actual bodily harm as a teenager and more violence in the years leading up to the jail sentence imposed last November.

Chris Oswald, defending, said the only matter of domestic violence was the last conviction on his record.

He said his client had told the probation service that he would comply with the restraining order which was now bound to be extended.

"Many of his problems arise out of his alcohol addiction," he told the court.

"During his time in prison awaiting this sentencing he has gone through a detox process which has enabled him to think more clearly about his future."

Passing sentence Judge Douglas Field said: "You have a bad record for violence running back several years. That is an aggravating feature.

"The greatest aggravating feature is within a month of being released from your prison sentence for violence against your former partner, and the imposition of a restraining order, there you are at her address in contravention of that order visiting violence on this woman with the children on the premises.

"You have been in prison for nine weeks and during that time you have started to address your alcohol problem and you have had a further taste of imprisonment.

"You have two children with this former partner of yours and for years to come there has to be some working arrangement with this former partner.

"I therefore think it is in the public interest that you continue to address your problems so I am going to suspend that period of imprisonment.”

He imposed a 31 week jail term suspended for 18 months with alcohol treatment, a building better relationships programme and a five year restraining order.

"That is a package that is not an easy option. If you fail to comply with any of the requirements you will be back in court," he said.