A TEENAGER who assaulted his girlfriend then tried to get her to drop the charges has been spared jail and sent to live at a home found for him in Cornwall.

Daniel Read was on a suspended sentence for robbery and being housed in a hotel when he launched the two assaults.

The 19-year-old then tried to get his girlfriend to drop the charges and made an abusive phone call to a probation officer.

Now, after hearing he had spent all but a few days in jail in the past 10 months, a judge has imposed a suspended sentence – and told him to live in Cornwall.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that Read was housed by social services in the Jury’s Inn late last year.

On November 12, his girlfriend Kayleigh Nicholls was staying with him when they had a row.

He pushed her over, causing an injury to her wrist. , which was x-rayed at hospital and found not to be broken.

When police were called she told them the bruises on her legs were from when he pinched, punched and kicked her over previous days.

Read was released on bail and during that time he made an abusive call to a probation officer.

Miss Squire said over the following days he breached his suspended sentence and was remanded in custody.

During that time, he made phone calls and sent love letters to Miss Nicholls in which he asked her to withdraw the assault charges.

And he made similar requests when he phoned her from the young offenders institute where he was being detained.

Read, of Booth House, Spring Gardens, admitted two counts of common assault, one of witness intimidation and one of making a malicious communication.

Mike Pulsford, defending, although he was on a suspended sentence at the time that had been allowed to continue by another judge in December.

Before he was put on that sentence, imposed for robbing a youngster of his bike, he had been in custody on remand.

said: “This young man has been in custody long enough, bearing in mind his age. Since August last year he has only been free for two weeks.”

“You Honour, having heard the outline of the witness intimidation that kept him in custody, it is by no means the worst intimidation.

“Daniel Read needs, in my submission, a new start. He has not helped himself. He has offended over the years.

He said Read was supported by Seqol in the hotel and they have found him a home in Saltash.

Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge QC imposed a five-month jail term suspended for 18 months with supervision and a requirement that he lives at an address in Saltash.

said: “You are only 19 and for reasons, some of which are of your own making and some of which are not, you have had a pretty dreadful start and you have been in the courts on a number of occasions.”It is said on your behalf and I entirely agree you need a new start. You need to get away from this kind of criminal behaviour.”

“On this occasions the court can help, but I have to say your future is in your hands and if you do not take the help that is available to you, and you should be grateful it is available to you.

“People have taken the trouble to come here to offer accommodation to you. If you throw it all away you will be the one person most responsible for that.

“The future, and there is no reason to suspect you haven’t got a very happy and fulfilling future in front of you, is entirely in your hands.”